Though China has become the world's largest auto market, Chinese auto brands remain uncompetitive in terms of export. In 2012, China's auto exports accounted for only 5 percent of China's auto output. China's auto exports have declined year on year since May 2013, registering the first-time year-on-year fall since export was restored in 2008. How to change overseas consumers' negative impression that Chinese auto brands are inferior and cheap with poor services has become an urgent problem pressing for solution by the vast majority of Chinese automakers. Starting from service satisfaction has become an important strategy of a growing number of automakers for overseas operations.
GWM marches forwards on the road of overseas services
From September 3 to 15, 2013, an overseas distributor training themed "joining hands for future" took place at GWM's headquarters. GWM's distributor representatives from 30 countries like Russia, Ukraine and Chile attended the training covering GWM's all series of products and after-sales service management.
Over five years, GWM has given five large-scale centralized trainings and over 20 specialized trainings to over 80 distributors worldwide, with the participation of over 150 trainees. Overseas after-sales trainings have become one of the ways of GWM and its overseas distributors to jointly improve after-sales services. Besides, to enhance overseas service satisfaction in an all-round manner, GWM has implemented a series of plans for improving overseas after-sales services.
Compared to domestic modes of after-sales service management, Chinese automakers are relatively weak in service control and constraint in overseas markets. Also, various countries' differences in laws and regulations, religious ideas and humanistic environment have also presented barriers to after-sales service management and monitoring. To enhance terminal service control, GWM has given overall consideration to various aspects such as parts plan submission, worked out a complete set of rating plans for overseas after-sales services to constrain and standardize overseas distributors' after-sales service work, and conducted more specialized service management.
The launch of GWM's ERP system this year has accomplished the full informatization of GWM's overseas parts ordering process, and saved the time of parts turnover from suppliers to the manufacturer and to overseas distributors, thus increasing the one-time fill rate of parts; meanwhile, GWM has established a separate overseas parts transit storage in Tianjin to satisfy the ever-growing overseas demand for parts. Also, GWM has established central parts storages in key sales markets like Russia, South Africa, Chile and GCC, thus boosting the timeliness rate of overseas parts supply and effectively ensuring consumers' demand for parts.
With the constant perfection of the network system, GWM's overseas distributors and terminal customers can download access maintenance materials and training videos from its after-sales service information site in real time. Distributing and sharing after-sales service resources via the Internet has become an effective tool to remove the restrictions of territory and time difference. Also, GWM has established its own overseas technical support training team specialized in overseas after-sales service support and training, thereby enhancing its overseas after-sales services.
In the overseas auto industry, the concept of "zero repair" is constantly striking deep roots in the mind of consumers and relevant service providers, and the focus of after-sales services is shifting from active repair to passive repair. GWM has made beneficial attempts and changes, too. Since 2010, GWM has regularly organized service experience activities in different countries every year. GWM sent invitations to local terminal customers in ways such as telephone, text message, e-mail and advertising, made free checks and offered parts and working hour discounts. Some overseas distributors even presented VIP gold card services to terminal customers so that they could enjoy better appointed maintenance services, thereby making services more specialized.
Compared to European, American, Japanese and Korean automakers, Chinese independent automakers have just started in terms of overseas after-sales services and remain far behind in service mode, terminal control and service professionalism. However, it is believed that GWM will keep pace with advanced enterprises in terms of overseas after-sales services with the gradual maturation of China's auto industry. As the famous Chinese saying goes, "A long journey begins with one step", Chinese independent automakers will walk better and better on the road of overseas after-sales services as long as they bear customers in mind and keep surprising customers.
