Hyundai Motor UK is already benefitting from the results of a 12-month aftersales focus in its network which has included a range of initiatives and further plans to create an online service booking facility linking customers to their approved workshops.

Aftersales director Nick Tunnell will share the brand’s vision, journey and successes when he speaks at AM’s Aftersales Conference on April 8 which takes place at the Crowne Plaza, Heythrop Place, Oxford.

Throughout 2013, HMUK introduced several aftersales initiatives including fixed-price service plans and a five-year plus service programme to both encourage current customers to remain in the network and entice lapsed customers to return.

Tunnell said: “Investment in customer care creates real profit opportunities.

“We know 89% of customers turn to a competitor following a bad experience at their dealership. It then costs six times as much to recruit a new customer to fill the gap.

“But if we can retain the customer, they will be 11% more profitable than a new one. For every 5% increase in retention, dealers can see overall profit rise by anything up to 125%.”

Basing developments on solid research of 60,000 customers while at the same time accepting that every customer is different, HMUK devised an approach which has seen the network buy into delivering a bespoke service according to individual customer requirements.

Ensuring the network recruited the best employees for the job was crucial and HMUK created a service advisor profile to help dealers identify the right people.

Customers were further encouraged to stay in touch using an individual portal – MyHyundai, a secure area where customer details are stored and highly targeted offers are made.

Customers are able to set service and road tax reminders and Tunnell believes that it is this element of control since the customer decides how much information to input, which has stimulated a high level of engagement.

Tunnell said: ““Having encouraged customers to use us, we had to make sure the network was geared up to deliver these heightened customer expectations and even surpass them with extra touches. We also implemented a process where we actively sought customer reviews, reacted quickly and personally including dealing with issues immediately if they arose.”

HMUK is now developing an online booking system as part of a new, integrated, menu pricing and electronic vehicle health check system. Customers will be able to book a service, reserve a loan car and select the most convenient time slot.
When the customer arrives on site, a smart recognition system, ANPR, will inform the service team of their arrival for an even more personalised approach. In the workshop, video of the car on the ramp outlining work required identified as part of the eVHC process can be emailed to the customer for approval.

Tunnell said: “Our objective is to build strong, long-term relationships but to achieve that we had to earn the trust of the customer and we are succeeding through transparency and good communications. Customers enjoying an integrated, seamless and complete experience will stick around and our network is now benefiting from the result of the combined efforts of us as a manufacturer working in partnership with our dealers.”

Tickets are available to dealers and manufacturers, with a limited number of supplier tickets on sale. To book, please contact Nicola Baxter on 01733 468289, email nicola.baxter@bauermedia.co.uk or visit www.aftersalesconference.co.uk