Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Hino Motors Limited Japan, held its 7th Annual Hino Total Support Contest (TS Contest) recently.
Lu & Sons Engineering is the Hino 7th TS Contest Overall Champion
With the restrictions placed by the Covid-19 pandemic on training, product launches and other events, this year’s contest was held virtually, and saw the participation of 60 finale contestants from 10 companies of Hino authorised dealer, nationwide.
HMSM took the initiative throughout the contest to adopting information and communication technologies to enhance the services offered.
Commenting on the post Covid-19 situation, HMSM Managing Director, Atsushi Uchiyama said: “We are now moving towards the new normal practices and I can say, technology online or in virtual platforms is approaching and so we take this advantage to keep in touch with our customers virtually, this means any situation that does not take place in an in-person physical environment. We can never be left behind and thus, the theme for the TS Contest is ‘Transforming Virtual & Digital Technology to Enhance Hino Business & Dealer’s Skill’, where we aim to level-up our dealer’s skill to face global challenges with the passion of our customer-centric value. “
The one-day battleground giving out prizes for Champion, 1st Runner-up, and 2nd Runner-up for each category within Sales, Services, and Parts. The contest challenged the skills of all the contestants in working their way toward bringing back the Challenge Trophy and cash incentive of RM 3,000, grand prize.
Under the Sales Category, the contestants were assessed based on their skill of handing-over purchased vehicles to the customer. They were given a three weeks period to prepare a role-playing video of vehicle handover procedures, which ranged between 13-15 minutes.
The video was evaluated based on how the contestants presented the procedure that involved the explanation of Hino Total Support to customers. This included Hino Authorised Dealer network, nationwide, Hino Breakdown Assistance, Hino Connect Installation, Hino Total Support Customer Centre (HTSCC) Training Programmes, Hino Warranty Terms, Hino Services Programmes, as well as an explanation of the rules and regulations of road transport in Malaysia.
Excellence in every respect is vital, as the vehicle handover represents the peak of the brand experience and, as it is the last touch-point before a customer leaves the premise, it can make a lasting impression.
The contestants under the service category were required to complete the technical task of fulfilling customer’s requests and satisfaction.
HMSM always practise ‘Genchi-Genbutsu’ which means ‘Go and see the site, then think there’, which drives HMSM forward and achieves its customer-centric value.
Despite the limitation barrier on face-to-face consultation with customers, HMSM found the alternative way to deliver the spirit of ‘Genchi-Genbutsu’ through virtual communication mediums such as Microsoft Teams, Webinars and Zoom Application, just to name a few.
As for the contestants under the Service Advisor category, they were required to execute a role play to serve the customer via video communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams. The evaluation was also tallied on communication and interpersonal skill of how contestants identified the problems faced by the customer, handling complaints, recommending the right services and parts, follow-up calls for the next service, and advising the customer on vehicle care and maintenance. Besides that, they were also evaluated based on their skill of utilising Hino Dealer Management System (HDMS).
Under the Senior Service Technician category, the contest ran via the Zoom Application and the contestants were evaluated based on their skill and knowledge of vehicle maintenance, mechanical parts solving, and utilising the Electrical Trouble Shooting by using Hino Diagnosis Tools Explorer (DX II). They were also required to present the Engine System Test which includes the Fuel Leak Test and Air Intake Test, while for Fault Code Diagnosis, the contestants were required to diagnose and rectify the problem by using web-manual Global Service Portal Site (GSPS) diagnosis work flow.
For the Parts category, the contestants were required to identify and compare between Hino genuine parts and forged parts in the market. They also needed to complete an online assessment that evaluated their skill of using the Electronic Parts Catalogues (EPC), to improve the management of technical documentation, spare parts services, after-sales and accuracy in determining correct parts to the right vehicle based on their model and chassis number.
The champion was Lu & Sons Engineering Sdn Bhd from Sarawak, while the 1st runner-up was Edaran Riz Sdn Bhd from Pahang and 2nd runner-up award went to Soon Seng Enterprise (1988) Sdn Bhd from Kelantan.
