1ST OBSERVATIONS

Customer Service

We decided to spend the remainder of the time, observing the customer service aspect of the company,  how work is allocated and billing. During this time, we witnessed the great level of customer that Honda has to offer.

For instance, we witnessed a customer walk in, and the service adviser is already up on his feet ready to greet her with a smile. The customer requests a service and asks questions, and the adviser is quick to reply with options of service and helpful solutions to her problems. By this stage the customer is impressed with the great service and is quick to ask for an appointment schedule, which the adviser swiftly organizes.

Appointment Procedure:

1. Customer calls to book an appointment
2. Service rep introduces department and gives his/her name.
3. Customer provides their name, vehicle details and a contact number.
4. Service representative requests customer and vehicle details; name, year, model, registration number.
5. The representative determines the type of work the customer requires either repairs or periodic   maintenance.
6. Representative checks appointments availability and suggests the appointment day, time and price (if possible).
7. Customer either accepts the appointment or chooses another option offered by the customer service representative.

After the adviser books the  appointment, he takes the car key from the customer, politely bids hers farewell,  advances to write up a job sheet, and forwards it to the branch manager. From here, the manager refers to his work loading chart containing the daily schedule to see if the new job can be slotted in for that day. Fortunately the mechanical workshop is experiencing a slow turnover in work and so the job is able to be done immediately. Being a basic oil service, the job is able to be completed within 45min, and the customer arrives promptly to pick up her car.

Upon arrival, the service adviser informs the customer of all the work done on the vehicle, shows her the parts that were changed, and tends to her queries. Once the adviser sees that customer is totally satisfied, he requests payment which the customer gladly makes.While saying farewell, the service adviser thanks the customer, he gives her the receipt, service booklet, keys, and advises the customer when the next maintenance is due, and escorts the customer to the car.

In my opinion, even though the job was completed to a high standard, the main selling point was the customer interaction that the customer had with the adviser. Had the adviser not been so friendly and helpful, I don't believe there would be work for the technicians. In retrospect, the job would not have been so quickly completed had it not been for the organisational skills displayed by the manager. All in all, from a customer point of view, I would be totally satisfied with the service.

Work Organization

The workshop is primarily managed by the service manager, whom is in constant communications with the Honda New Zealand head office who are ultimately in control of all operations in the country. The service manager supervises the 20 full time employees and assigns the work among each worker as they arrive accordingly.

Control Systems

Control systems are needed for the workshop in order to offer effective control over work loading, work distribution and work flow. This is to ensure a well utilized workforce and satisfied customers.

As a result, it prevents the dilemma of a single employee working on more than one vehicle at any given time, which may sometimes result in confusion and may eventuate into costly mistakes. On the greater scheme of the things, assigning an individual to a set task ensures the safety aspect of the clients vehicle is upheld, as the technician will be aware of what work has been done on the vehicle, thus minimizing errors. To help with this,   

the manager utilizes a  loading chart to assist with work distribution.

Workshop Loading Chart

Such a chart allows you to forward, plan and indicates the daily situation in the workshop whilst simultaneously providing an analysis of productive and non-productive time. Gaps in the loading chart indicate how much more work can be taken on for a particular day. A typical workshop loading chart is shown below (Figure-7). In addition, a progress chart is used to help keep progress of the work completed by a technician (Figure-8).

    Figure-7: Loading Chart

    Figure-8: Progress chart

Honda’s Billing and Quality Assurance

With regards to billing, Honda follows similar protocols as discussed previously. The service adviser at Honda is very approachable, friendly and easy to talk to. Their role in the company is one of the most important, as it involves vital tasks such as booking jobs, making meetings, processing invoices, and dealing with all customer inquiries.

During observation, Honda has always met their deadlines, which impresses most customers. When conversing with customers, we found that they were very happy with the service provided by Honda, and even suggestions that they would like to come back for any future vehicle repair needs. If there are any complaints or regular vehicle checks, the manager of the workshop is always present to assist. If there are any repair faults, the vehicle is normally bought back to be repaired, as all work is guaranteed.

To ensure that things run smoothly. Technicians, always work through the job card which has been filled in by the service advisor, and approved by the manager.  Invoicing is done by the service advisor. If there are any delays in the work due to some obstacles the receptionist has to make the call to the customers to explain the situation and give the next approximate completion time for their job. Honda has their own job cards which make invoicing very easy and all customers details are printed on the card, which the customer signs off to finalize confirm job.