Web-exclusive content for this issue includes:

• Videos from the Day in the Cab series with Layne Richins of Stotz Equipment
• Videos from the 2017 Most Valuable Dealership series with Southern States Cooperative
• A podcast about precision data security with Lance Formwalt and Todd Janzen

With customers planting and harvesting crops throughout the year, Layne Richins, Integrated Solutions Coordinator with Stotz Equipment, in Casa Grande, Ariz., doesn’t necessarily deal with the same service peaks as his peers in other parts of the country. Juggling a constant and diverse flow of precision support needs requires acute time management, while also prioritizing the most pressing customer needs.

Restructuring precision farming responsibilities throughout the dealership helped streamline billing, accountability and efficiency for Layne Richins, Integrated Solutions Coordinator with Stotz Equipment. Richins is also the service manager at the in Casa Grande, Ariz., store and says centralizing precision support through the service department minimizes customer confusion and allows for quicker response times.

As progressive farmers seek to do more with their collected field information, Layne Richins, Integrated Solutions Coordinator with Stotz Equipment in Casa Grande, Ariz., leverages face-to-face customer meetings to explain the setup and benefits of a data management system, with a personal touch in mind.

Designing and implementing a precise land leveling game plan with customers using grading and surveying software is an increasing service opportunity for Layne Richins, Integrated Solutions Coordinator with Stotz Equipment in Casa Grande, Ariz.

Aftermarket precision upgrades can require in-field training to get customers up to speed and comfortable with new technology. Layne Richins, Integrated Solutions Coordinator with Stotz Equipment in Casa Grande, Ariz., spends time field starting a new John Deere R4038 sprayer and activate section control and AutoTrac. Thorough preparation, setup and explanation of ROI are keys to capitalizing on equipment upgrades, especially when dealing with operators who aren’t typically farm owners.

During busy seasons when Nathan Zimmerman, precision farming manager with A.C. McCartney Equipment in Wataga, Ill., can get 100 phone calls a day, he makes sure to document each customer contact in a purchase order book, to ensure accurate invoicing and billing.

Installing new precision components on older farm equipment is a valuable source of revenue for Nathan Zimmerman, precision farming manager with A.C. McCartney Equipment in Wataga, Ill., who says, “if it has a steering wheel, we can do it.”