PORTLAND, Ore. — Schetky Northwest Bus Sales has become Thomas Built Buses’ newest Platinum Support certified dealer.

Platinum Support is a collaborative effort of Thomas Built Buses, Daimler Trucks North America, and dealers that focuses on improving the customer experience.

"Schetky Northwest Bus Sales has had a rich 75-year history in the Oregon and Washington areas and, by any other dealership’s terms, has done many things well," said Paul Start, market growth development manager for Thomas Built Buses. "Because they are so dedicated to better serving their customers, they enrolled in Thomas Built Buses’ Platinum Support program and dramatically transformed their dealership and customer experience.”

To become certified, dealers must undergo training and improvements to increase service efficiencies and reduce vehicle life-cycle costs for their customers. The program aims to enhance such areas as diagnosis time, turnaround, quality, communication, parts availability, and customer service.

"We have already seen tremendous success and increased efficiencies through the process of becoming Platinum Support certified," said Ron Scott, director of operations for Schetky Northwest Bus Sales. "Our customer experience is now even better, and that’s one of the reasons we continue to grow as a dealership."