The Hyundai brand now enjoys a 3% market share and retaining its customers through aftersales was identified as imperative if it was to achieve its volume aspirations.

Aftersales director Nick Tunnell said the strategy was borne out of low CSI scores from the last decade: “We recognised if we were to grow, we would have to focus on customer satisfaction and aftersales plays a key role in driving customer retention.

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♦  Service plans have generated £5.5 million for the Hyundai network ♦ Hyundai based its strategy on 90,000 customer comments

“If we satisfy our customers, we make them happy. It’s not rocket science, but was something we needed to focus upon.”

According to research from Warwick University cited by Tunnell, retaining a customer costs six times less than attracting a new one, loyal customers spend 3% more than new customers and fully satisfied customers are 11% more profitable.

Armed with more than 90,000 comments from 38,000 of its customers, the brand identified recruiting the right staff in the network as critical and provided them with the tools and skills they needed to create the best customer experience, including service plans that have so far generated £5.5 million for the network.

A 12-step customer journey was implemented which included responding to enquiries in minutes, first-time fix and a fixed total cost, with additional work cleared by speaking to customers first. Three factors proved to be an absolute must: car wash; full invoice explanation; and customer follow-up.