Sime Darby Motors aspires to be the leading automotive player in the Asia Pacific region. As the global automotive landscape continues to evolve, it is imperative for the business to increase its competitiveness, strengthen the performance of its retail operations, and more importantly enhance customer experience through its service offerings and business steering capabilities in daily operations.
In FY2017, Sime Darby Motors launched its Retail Excellence Programme (SREP). The programme was established as a forward-looking and comprehensive dealer development programme that aims to improve customer-centricity at dealerships. The programme had several key pillars including improving Customer Experience Management (CX), developing a Customer-Oriented Strategy and improving Operational Excellence through KPI and Customer Feedback Management.
As part of SREP, dealerships are encouraged to be more customer focused, by better understanding and adapting to the evolution of customer expectations in the respective markets. Dealerships also explored omnichannel customer engagement, with digital touchpoints, personalised services and mobility solutions.
Under SREP, dealerships also employed a more customer-oriented strategy, introducing improved operating procedures, processes and standards for sales and after-sales services throughout the dealership, ensuring that customers are treated to a consistent service at the highest level.
At the back-end, improvements to the performance reviews and customer feedback processes ensures that our people are able to focus their energy on their main task of servicing customers.
The programme was scaled up in 2019 on the after-sales front. SREP 2.0 ambitiously undertook transformational initiatives which were structured around value drivers of the after-sales operational environment.
“I used to allocate 1.5 hours daily to compile appointment bookings listing. Now I am able to spend more time engaging customers to gather accurate requirements and more importantly building relationships with them,"
Norashimah Abd Rahman, Customer Relations Officer, Sime Darby Auto Hyundai
The programme was piloted at Sime Darby Auto Connexion and Sime Darby Auto Hyundai branches. Following the implementation of SREP, the branches experienced several key improvements, including increased appointment rates and reduction of No Show rates.
In unlocking the value of these changes, Sime Darby Auto Hyundai (Malaysia)’s Customer Relations Officer, Norashimah Abd Rahman shared that thanks to all the process improvements initiated via SREP, she is now able to improve her relationships with customers and better allocate her time for customer engagement.
“I used to allocate 1.5 hours daily to compile appointment bookings listing. Now I am able to spend more time engaging customers to gather accurate requirements and more importantly building relationships with them,” she shared.
As for Sime Darby Auto Connexion in Malaysia, the programme has unleashed the full potential of the after-sales team, driving operational excellence through an integrated approach to people, process and systems.
Service Manager Manimaran a/l Vadiveil (Head After Sales) shared, “Through working closely with Management, we were able to keep the team focused on driving improvements on the ground.”
Building on this success, Sime Darby Motors is geared to further develop its operational processes, set improvements to its systems and people development, and in carving the operational metrics that delivers financial results.