After almost 3 years why hasn't NEWGLE been the answer

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by tnedator

The problem isn't staff or office space (other than when it comes to getting new accounts created), but instead the fact it's not functional.

Not sure this is 100% true. I think staff is important. It has to be the correct people not just programmers.

An example, the American Kennel Club, AKC is a lot larger than Newmar and handles a lot more items on every breed including litters, pedigrees, Show information, Judges Information, Championships etc.... the list is endless.

Several years ago they went on a complete up date much like this. They hired a lot of folks that didn't and still don't know a thing about the dog world other than they have four legs and most have a tail. It has been a cluster to say the least. Their web site is beautiful but for the most part useless unless you use it every day. Their search engine is lost and can't find itself. If you misspell a Judges name by one letter or leave out their middle initial it can't find that judge for example. Hell Google can but the AKC own web site can't.

My point is that the best computer people aren't going to fix a problem unless they know something about the products use and how it is used. Someone at Newmar needs to sit down with the folks in charge and give them problems to solve like real world problems.

Example would be. "I have a 2018 Dutch Star #607298 and my hot water doesn't work, what do I do?" With that information it is known to Newmar what the serial number of the Oasis is that was installed in the unit and what the diagnostics for that system are. Let them see what the folks are looking for not just list every part, bolt and screw and hope that folks can find out how they work. Other wise they can spend another $500 k and it still won't work.

This would help their own service department. Right now if there is a problem on a unit they are working on in one team and no one on the that team knows anything about it they run all over the shop trying to find out who does know something about it. Would it not be more productive to just go to the computer and type the problem in and all of the past repair orders of that same problem would populate the screen.

The information is there all they have to do is have a method to mine it that makes sense to the folks looking for it not to a programmer.

[Ann n Gene]

I have been told when a tech calls Newmar with problems on your coach the first thing they ask for is the VIN. Newmar then pulls up your coach on the screen and every part on it is available right on the screen(s). WHEN Newgle works like that I will use it not before. JMHO

[Dutch Star David]

Originally Posted by Airedale

The "original" version of Newgle was coach specific and extremely useful. A valuable resource for our 2011 Canyon Star. The new & improved version is useless as it is too generic. I have tried to use a couple of times for our 2016 Dutch Star and got too frustrated. I usually have to go to The Briefcase and/or manufacturer website. An improvement would be to go back to the way it used to be.

Here I thought it was me. Sorry to hear so many others find Newgle next to impossible to use.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by VP Chianese

Not sure this is 100% true. I think staff is important. It has to be the correct people not just programmers.

An example, the American Kennel Club, AKC is a lot larger than Newmar and handles a lot more items on every breed including litters, pedigrees, Show information, Judges Information, Championships etc.... the list is endless.

Several years ago they went on a complete up date much like this. They hired a lot of folks that didn't and still don't know a thing about the dog world other than they have four legs and most have a tail. It has been a cluster to say the least. Their web site is beautiful but for the most part useless unless you use it every day. Their search engine is lost and can't find itself. If you misspell a Judges name by one letter or leave out their middle initial it can't find that judge for example. Hell Google can but the AKC own web site can't.

My point is that the best computer people aren't going to fix a problem unless they know something about the products use and how it is used. Someone at Newmar needs to sit down with the folks in charge and give them problems to solve like real world problems.

Example would be. "I have a 2018 Dutch Star #607298 and my hot water doesn't work, what do I do?" With that information it is known to Newmar what the serial number of the Oasis is that was installed in the unit and what the diagnostics for that system are. Let them see what the folks are looking for not just list every part, bolt and screw and hope that folks can find out how they work. Other wise they can spend another $500 k and it still won't work.

This would help their own service department. Right now if there is a problem on a unit they are working on in one team and no one on the that team knows anything about it they run all over the shop trying to find out who does know something about it. Would it not be more productive to just go to the computer and type the problem in and all of the past repair orders of that same problem would populate the screen.

The information is there all they have to do is have a method to mine it that makes sense to the folks looking for it not to a programmer.

Agreed. I doubt very much the six people are programmers. More likely, they are the people entering these thousands of bits of information that still need to be entered, but the problem is the system itself isn't functional.

Based on what people have posted in this thread, Newmar seems to think that once they have all the information uploaded, then us coach owners will come here and search like in Google and poof, we have our info.

That's flawed logic. It needs to work like the old Newgle, where my account is associated with my coach number and when I login, I only see information related to the items on my coach.

That's a functional design problem with the site.

[VP Chianese]

Originally Posted by Ann n Gene

I have been told when a tech calls Newmar with problems on your coach the first thing they ask for is the VIN. Newmar then pulls up your coach on the screen and every part on it is available right on the screen(s). WHEN Newgle works like that I will use it not before. JMHO

The same with Customer Service. One step farther. They see your phone ID if you have called in before and you pop up before you even give them your coach number.

[Finance]

So, we can call this topic resolved, then?

[hohenwald48]

After going thru the Newgle class and discussing the topic with Newmar IT folks I think it's pretty safe to say that Newgle is not very likely to ever be a good tool for technical information. They were more interested in scanning in the owners manuals for appliances than trying to provide useful information.

They made dozens of excuses for why we can't access things like wiring diagrams, plumbing diagrams and so forth. They claimed that all that stuff is different for every coach. However, they were unable to explain how I can call Newmar support and they can email those diagrams to me. They must be in a database somewhere. I just think Newmar has a different vision for Newgle than most of us do.

Perhaps with Newmar being bought by Winnebago things will eventually change. Winnebago has about the best technical information available on line of any manufacturer. However, they lack a cutesy name for it. Maybe the Newmar IT folks can come up with on for them.

[TJ]

Stay tuned for "Winnegle."

TJ

[Dav L]

Having developed FCA's global technical service information resource system ("TechCONNECT") about 10 years ago, it's a very large initiative and takes a lot of investment to do well. It is the second highest used system in FCA and is core to the dealership service business. Maybe the pooled resources of Winnebago will help put the systems and authoring and processes in place to make the difference.

FCA sells access to the library via a subscription model ("TechAuthority" https://www.techauthority.com/) aimed at non dealer service facilities. As of 5 years ago, there was no free access for owners. I advocated that there should have been (access to one VIN's of info that you are the registered owner if you were opted in to Marketing et al).

[hohenwald48]

What is "FCA"?

[Dav L]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

What is "FCA"?

Fiat Chrysler Automobile ie: Chrysler / Ram / Jeep / Fiat / Masarati / AlfaRomeo / Dodge / Plymouth et al.

[Steve Kieffer]

Amen to those who have said, get professional help.


Both of my son-in-laws are professionals in the consulting / software business. One in consumer products and the other in telecommunications / high-tech. My daughters both worked for the same company before their marriages. They have shared numerous failures stories of companies trying the do customer interfaces themselves.



I won't share specifics, but in the telecon industry the two companies that usually rank worst in customer satisfaction produce their customer interfaces in-house.


Even companies like Google, Microsoft, AT&T etc., hire third-party consulting companies, paying 100's of millions each year to produce software system for both customer and employee interface.


A company IT department typically doesn't even know how to properly spec a customer interface or manage the third-party consultant. One of my son-in-law is currently working as a consultant for a major consumer products company overseeing the third-party consultant work and guiding the company's knowledge and decision making.


The 6 people working at Newmar on this project are a waste of company resources.


On the other hand, customer focus groups, brain-storming needs and desires, can be an important source of pre-design input. Competitive intelligence, some of which naturally comes from using third-party vendors, can also help the design process. After all the goal should be exceptional service for the customer, which includes being better than any competitor's prior efforts.

["007"]

With the purchase of Newmar maybe they were waiting for Winnebago to correct the Newgle problem.
Winnie always had a good reference source.