RV DEALERS

Where Service Takes Priority

This Gulfport, Mississippi, dealership is all-in on giving customers what they need to succeed in RVing.

By John McCurry

Photos courtesy of County Line Campers

County Line Campers’ renowned customer service representatives work cheaply, but are highly effective. All they ask for in compensation is some fruit and a little petting.

Bunny and Clyde, the Gulfport, Mississippi, dealership’s rescue bunnies, are among the first to greet customers.

“They’re very friendly and playful and have great personalities,” says Rob Adkison, County Line’s operating partner and chief rabbit procurer. “They love being petted, they love being interacted with and they love being fed bananas.”

Adkison and his wife began rescuing bunnies around the time the dealership opened in 2022, after they realized how many pet rabbits are abandoned, especially around Easter. Within a couple of years, they had rescued and rehomed more than 90 rabbits.

The twitchy-nosed mascots are a big attraction, with some former customers stopping by just to see them.

“The two that we have now are the original two we rescued. We kept them here at the store, so they’ve got their own little area, and they love it,” Adkison says. “They have great personalities. Families love to see them.”

The rabbits are just one way County Line Campers strives to be different. Adkison and his partners have come a long way since they found a “patch of dirt” near Interstate Highway 10. COVID-19 and a steel shortage slowed initial progress, but Adkison and his staff have found their niche in service. He puts service above any goal of becoming a high-volume dealer.

“I’d rather be a lower volume guy, deliver a good product, make a good gross and earn a customer,” he says. “That’s what we strive to do, and that’s what most dealers don’t do.”

County Line gives customers buying new RVs a year of free quarterly inspections to teach them how to maintain their camper. The dealership also does quarterly inspections on its inventory to avoid unwanted surprises. Adkison prefers to be a lower-volume dealer who delivers a good product and takes care of customers.

“Most dealers will get [RVs] in here from the factory, they’ll wash them, maybe do a PDI (product delivery inspection), but then it sits in the lot for a year or over a year, and you have a lot rot. You have issues, and those issues aren’t caught until delivery day, when the customer’s supposed to be picking up and having a great experience,” Adkison says. “I think dealers have pushed more people out of the industry from that kind of thing and that has really harmed the market overall. That’s what we’re trying to change here.”

County Line offers about a dozen different brands, pretty much across the board except for truck campers and diesel coaches. About 100 to 130 units are on the lot at any given time.

Nikki House, who previously worked with several RV dealerships in Texas before joining County Line, serves as fixed operations director. She works in tandem with the sales department as well as managing the warranty and parts departments.

“Customers prefer people who understand the industry that they’re in. This isn’t like the automotive industry, where I can see that I’m 2,000 miles away from needing to get my oil changed or my AC serviced on my car,” House says. “Customers appreciate, when something happens, having a dealership that supports them. They are finding more often than not that they cannot get that level of service through a chain. My assessment is that working with customers on a daily basis, they just want somebody who’s willing to help.”

House expresses gratitude to the manufacturers County Line represents for their willingness to communicate. They are all willing to listen to dealers regarding quality issues, she says.

“I’m looking to see if they have made changes in their newer models, or if they’ve attempted to rectify issues. With the brands we represent, I can absolutely see the changes, even if they are just slight,” House says. “I’m looking to see how receptive they are about taking our feedback and integrating that into the next models. They are listening to us, helping to solve future problems. I’m pleased to say that I see a lot of improvements and changes based on dealer feedback.”

“Customers appreciate having a dealership that supports them.”

House strives to present a customized experience for every client based on how they intend to use their camper. This includes providing information on the accessories County Line offers to the details of the extended service plan.

“Everything about how we set our delivery experience up for our clients is 100% customized and tailored to how they plan to use it,” she says. “We listen to what their plans are for the camper, and we set an entire program up around them on the day of delivery.

“If a client is going to be using this camper once or twice a month, and they’re going to go here, [or] they’re going to go there, we set that delivery up. We focus heavily on how to disconnect and hook up. We create a checklist with the customer.”

House says many customers buy from County Line because they get a good feeling about the service department. One reason is that after the deal is done, the last delivery step is to introduce clients to the service department and introduce them to their service adviser. She says that is the No. 1 thing County Line does differently from any place she has ever worked. From that point, an app called Podium is used by the service adviser to text message the client.

“The coolest part about all of this is that the client will get it on their phone, and then we ask them, just go ahead and reply back, ‘Got it,’” House explains. “And then we hold up our phones. Podium is on all of our service advisers’ phones, so the client instantly sees that if they are in trouble, if they need help, if they text someone, they will get the message. It gives them a sense of safety and security.”

Knowing customers have a way to text message County Line staff and get through is a game changer, House says. And customers do actually use it.

“We have customers that use the program, so that’s what’s different,” she says. “I care that you know when you buy a camper from County Line, you buy the whole service. We travel with you wherever you go.”

Word gets around about County Line’s dedication to service. House says two customers from Texas recently bought units based on referrals from other campers.

She says Adkison’s pitch to entice her to join County Line’s management focused on service.

“When Rob reached out to me [to join the dealership], he didn’t talk to me about how great a sales department he had,” House says. “The one thing that he was adamant about is he knows County Line can be the best on the coast with a good service department. Once we got our service and parts department in the direction that Rob and I want it to go, the sales and delivery process became refined and a well-oiled machine.”

Adkison says the industry’s biggest opportunity involves RV dealers working hard to keep people in the industry. Too many customers are being driven out of the industry by dealers focusing too much on front-end gross profit instead of educating them about what the RV lifestyle entails. He has been talking to fellow dealers about this issue.

“We drive away more consumers out of RV just by doing stupid stuff all the time, and focusing on the initial sale,” he says. “I don’t care what brand you buy or what manufacturer or how much you spend, you’re going to have your own problems. That’s part of the lifestyle. Education, maintenance — all these things have to be a priority. That’s where we’re going to make a mark to keep people in this industry.”