Hyundai Australia to improve servicing experience

The South Korean brand currently has 165 dealers in Australia, but while there may be room for one or two more, it sees potential for growth and an area where there is room for improvement in the servicing side of the business.

“The service capacity is probably an issue for us going forward,” Hyundai Australia’s chief operating officer, John Elsworth, told CarAdvice in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday.

Hyundai plans to improve its servicing model by introducing new consumer-focused systems that should help improve its service retention rate.

The Hyundai dealership in Southport (Gold Coast), for example, has introduced a new online service booking system that provides the exact cost of a service for any Hyundai vehicle based on its kilometres and parts required before the owner ever walks in a service centre.

The system will email owners in advance and inform them of an upcoming service (based on time elapsed since previous service), allowing a self-booking system where owners can pick a convenient date and time, know the exact price and have no surprises.

Following the service, customers are then quizzed about their experience, with the ratings being reviewed by the highest authority internally to insure good customer service is maintained.

As cars advance technologically, the potential for a Hyundai vehicle to automatically communicate with the dealer management system, inform the owner of the exact cost of the next service and then make an appointment, would seem feasible.

CarAdvice suspects the innovative online booking system is likely to roll out across all Hyundai dealers nationally in the near future, helping keep more Hyundai customers in the dealership network.

Elsworth emphasised that moving forward, Hyundai would look at expanding workshops not just in terms of capacity but also opening hours.

Arguably, the focus on a better servicing experience would set Hyundai up for the long haul as a mature and consumer-focused brand in Australia, with the company likely to score a podium finish in this year’s sales tally before heading into 2015 with a range of new or updated product.

Hyundai offers a five-year warranty across its passenger range, with all cars covered by a three-year capped price servicing campaign.