[Mpower]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

WHEN THE CUSTOMER ACTUALLY DRIVES AWAY, STAND OUTSIDE THE DRIVER'S DOOR AND WAVE TO HIM WHEN HE STARTS DRIVING, (LIKE IN CASE OF AIRCRAFT TAXIING - AS THE GROUND CREW DO). STAND AT THE SAME SPOT AND LOOK AT THE CAR TILL HE DRIVES AWAY. REMEMBER, HE IS LOOKING AT YOU THROUGH HIS REAR VIEW MIRROR.

WHEW! THAT'S CUSTOMER DELIGHT!

This would make zero difference to me personally. We are all used to the fake smiles as we are being ripped off.

[Sowmya]

Monopoly !! Thats a big factor in any sector. We all Honda owner goes to Honda showroom instead of expiring the Warranty period. Why ? I think Good Local Mech will do better job. We dont have any option to go any where apart from those few stupid. And again they are just a different side of same plate. No changes.
Parts !! Have you ever tried to take back your parts (Obviously smaller one) after replacement. i believe they try to sell those parts (new/used) again in out side market.
DealerShip !! Avg Dealership. Like there must be one dealership/service station per n no of Car. It should not be 1L car is serviceing by single Showroom. There should be minimum X amount of showroom.

[kuttapan]

I have gone through the thread and I should say it is very interesting.

Since it is a root cause analysis, let me try and be succinct on what I feel.

1. Ignorance(or lack of skills) - both on the dealers part and the customer's. If the SA is skilled and can listen and understand the customer's issue first up and can solve it the FIRST time, the customer has a good experience. The customer should have enough knowledge to convey what he feels is wrong with the car and also to understand the work done. Else he may have a different set of expectations and may feel shortchanged/cheated even if the workshop was doing a good job.

Bottomline - Customer and SA should understand the car. Dealers should regularly monitor their SA's and try to retain the good ones by offering higher incentives.

2. Greed - Both on the dealers and the customers part. Dealers try to generate revenue by pushing things like engine flush, carbon clean etc when it is not really required and some customers do not agree to change a part even when it has neared the end of it's service life. Result - Dissatisfaction.
Also dealers pay very less to the mechanics/SA's and they have very little motivation going to do their jobs in the best way.

3. Attitude - In the service industry, you have to have an attitude fit for that. Most often, ego's come into picture, SA's have a know all attitude and do not listen to customer. Customer in turn should be willing to develop a trust relationship with the dealer/SA. After all, the car is a mechanical(also electronic, nowadays) thing, things do go wrong and sometimes the fix isn't instant. Another is the "Chalta hain attitude" by the dealer staff who don't like what they do and their work is mundane, monotonous stuff for them, what if the customer has paid through his nose for his 14 lakh car, it is just another object for him.

4. Time constraints - Too many cars handled in a day by a dealer, leading to burden on the workshop guys, leading them to cut corners when working, not being able to dedicate proper attention to a particular car.

5. Manufacturer response to complaints - Customer service has to work in a closed loop. Customer comes to the workshop for service, gets work done, feedback is taken. If the feedback is negative(which can and will happen), the company needs to take it seriously and act on it to ensure the work is done to perfection the second time to the satisfaction of the customer. Else, it ruins the relationship forever. This is what makes Maruti one of the best, IMO and Skoda one of the worst, going by experiences on the forum.

It takes two hands to clap. Customer satisfaction can only happen when there is a synergy between dealer/manufacturer and the customer. That said, Onus is on the dealer to go out of his way to ensure customer satisfaction, rather than the customer playing ball with the dealer.

There, I tried to keep it short, but failed....

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by Mpower

This would make zero difference to me personally. We are all used to the fake smiles as we are being ripped off.

According to Dale Carnegie (the original master of relationship management) it can be actually counterproductive if the entire exercise is false or fake and it shows immediately. In fact it is better to be just businesslike than have a false smile.
On the other hand if there is a genuine feeling then it makes you feel good. My advisor drives with me for a few hundred meters to check everything is fine (like all nuts are tight and things are working properly) and then I drop him back to his work - this is his initiative and not mine.

[married2speed]

Food for thought - Why are we confining our thought to just the car community. There are other industries which beg for better CS. Telecom, Travel specifically airlines, Govt. Departments inspite of all the privatization and a whole lot others.

From what i've read & contributed so far, the common factor, I guess, towards bad CS can be attributed to the mindset/attitude. As long as as I'm not being negatively affected, I shouldn't be bothered about others comfort. I guess when this thought would change, a lot would change.

UnWillingness to change/learn/adapt would be another reason

[Steeroid]

I have a small thesis to write on this topic from my recent expiences. Need some time, though - will post a link on this thread.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Mpower

This would make zero difference to me personally. We are all used to the fake smiles as we are being ripped off.

Add to that the smiling "Yes sir, i will get it done for sure."

When what it really means is "arrey does it really make a difference / i might make a mention of it to the mechanics / will you even know if its done / do you even know what youre talking about".

cya
R

[rohan_fonseca]

Monopoly is the problem. Have over the counter sales for parts and we will see a drastic improvement in the company a.s.s. due to competition creeping in.

[JayD]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

I have a small thesis to write on this topic from my recent expiences. Need some time, though - will post a link on this thread.

Are workshops included too??? Then Someone is gonna have a field day here!!!

[agentsmith2]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

DO WE HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES WHEN WE GO FOR GETTING OUR CARS ATTENDED TO AT DEALERSHIPS? WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE AT ALL?

Why? 5 Words: Negligible Judicial/ Legal Enforcement System in India.

Why single out Car Dealerships ?

Can you sue your apartment builder for a badly built home ? No.
Can you sue Airtel for their non-existent network and support ? No.
Can you sue any company or legal entity, for that matter over a contract you sign ?
No.

Can you sue the government for bad roads and horrible infrastructure ? No.

Hell - can you even go and file an FIR today in a Police Station without having to haggle for days ?

You, and me - we - are in a country which doesn't have a legal system to speak of. Apologies if that comes as a surprise but India is corrupt to the core.

Corrupt to the core police, executive, legislature and judiciary - what else can you expect from them - a fair legal system ?

[Brabus E V12]

Originally Posted by agentsmith2

Why? 5 Words: Negligible Judicial/ Legal Enforcement System in India.

Corrupt to the core police, executive, legislature and judiciary - what else can you expect from them - a fair legal system ?

Hmmm I do partly agree with you there agentsmith. Perhaps that is the reason no company really bothers about training their staff in customer service. They know the customer can't do anything! And the law is an A.S.S anyway!

You really have to struggle a lot to get almost any kind of after sales service for any kind of product in India. The person on the other side of the counter/phone will somehow always manage to smile at you while thinking inside "aray kya bhejaa khaarahey ho, agar cheez mein problem hai to aapki galti hai!"

All we have to do is keep trying..Keep fighting..There will come a day when India will only be as corrupt as the other Western developed nations!

[ATUL SINGH]

Behram buddy (since you must have turned 25 this year)
May be you have already read my experiece coming out from M&M First Choice (Delhi) trying to get my CJ3B up and running. (Jeep from Yamuna Nagar thread) Do i need to add more? Reasons may vary, we are neither professional about our attitude towards our jobs (because usually its by compulsion and not choice) and we very rarely enjoy doing it (the passion is usually or normally missing). You, I think, are one of the few lucky ones who are doing what they actually have a feel for.

But dont despair folks, the night is darkest just before dawn. Lets hope things move towards a more responsive and caring society.

Regards,

atul

PS: I hope this thread becomes active once again. What it talks about is vital to the auto industry. The attached snap is for a brighter tomorrow...

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Atul - sorry for late reply as I saw this thread today. Yes, I am lucky. Call it core competence, unique ability, God's gift or whatever, I very humbly state that I excactly happen to know what is wrong with a car and I also happen to know exactly what to do to set it right. I also happen to know very clearly that except a very few, others do not know. Numerous TeamBHPians like you have endorsed this fact in various threads and proved it beyond any reasonable doubt. Through various mechanisms, I have tried to inculcate this capability in others but for various "non-technical" (read that as "corporate terrorism") reasons, the end result still remains pathetically poor or same as before.

This means only one thing - THIS MAKES ME THINK. IS THERE BUSINESS HERE?

I request you all to please put your thoughts across on this request.

And thank you for the beautiful flowers!.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[greenhorn]

Sir, Someone had proposed a solution to this and I had posted it here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...reat-idea.html
This is a solution which ( I know from personal experience, in the ITES eindustry) that it mostly works, or at least gives quantitative feedback on Service quality. Your opinion on it would be appreciated.
Thanks

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear Greenhorn - The ticket system is a good step in the correct direction but it is finally a "yes / no" system. This system will close the complaint when it is "resolved", till that time it will ensure that somebody follows up, that's all!

It in no way helps in answering the question - "what exactly do I do to set this car right, so that it delights the customer, so that this car will now run as it has never run before, so that this customer is now my brand ambassador for life, so that this customer will never buy any other car except my company's car?". This question can only be answered by real people having real professional knowledge and professional competence in this vast and as yet untapped area. As I can see today, this is a rare quality.

This is good .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar