TRUCK manufacturer, FAW SA, says its dealers are operating at a higher level than ever before, making for more satisfied customers
It puts this down to a concerted effort to set industry-leading aftersales benchmarks to which its dealers and branches have to adhere.
“While FAW SA’s efforts have culminated in a comprehensive programme of action to standardise its dealer operations and after-sales departments, including parts, service and warranties nationwide, it believes that customer satisfaction is the ultimate indicator of where it stands,” the company said in a statement.
Over the last two years specifically, FAW SA has developed industry standard criteria for dealer and branch facilities and their proper management. It has also developed a reporting structure in order to measure and better manage the performance of its South African dealers and after-sales departments.
Additionally, the company has introduced processes to increase dealer stockholding and quicken parts supply. Simultaneously, it is busy introducing FAW TQC (Total Quality Care) in South Africa.
TQC is a worldwide programme that was launched two years ago by FAW in China. It is a framework and umbrella brand that represents all of the initiatives being done in the FAW aftersales environment globally. FAW dealers in South Africa will need to be accredited by FAW SA in order to reach TQC level.
To this end, various training and technical improvement courses, ranging from beginner to advanced in difficulty, have been implemented by FAW SA over the last year. Furthermore, all FAW technicians are required to attend certain service courses to fast-track their technical development.
Central to this process is the overall customer experience, part of which includes the training of technicians, which culminated in the FAW National Service Technician Competition.
Held in February, the biennial event was won by FAW technician Martin Fick.
The competition was aimed at the FAW dealer network, including Botswana and Namibia with the intent to find the best three technicians and workshop managers the company has, before developing them further by sending them overseas.
Assessment of the competitors was done during classroom and practical exercises, with technicians scored on their fault finding and fault fixing proficiency. The competition was designed to mirror what happens inside FAW dealerships on a daily basis.
“The overarching idea is to motivate FAW technicians, while improving their ability to find and fix problems on customer vehicles in a practical manner. The competition further sought to motivate workshop managers to increase the scope and frequency of technical training offered to staff,” the company said.