New Mahindra Truck & Bus dealer growing leaps & bounds
Randhawa Motors, a division of Randhawa Automobile Engineering Pvt. Ltd., has achieved another milestone by achieving highest sale target for Mahindra Truck and Buses Division (MTBD), across India, in just a year of acquiring the authorized dealership from the challenger brand.
Speaking to MOTORINDIA, Mr. M.S. Randhawa, Managing Director, Randhawa Motors, said: “We had shown our faith in the Mahindra dealership given the fact that they are a challenger brand with improved vehicles in form of Blazo and Blazo X. They also became a full range player with the introduction of the FURIO range of vehicles. 3S at Panvel dealership for Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & Raigad district was chosen for the dealership as it is close to Chakan, Pune plant, and is accessible to many transporters. We have also got immense support from the top management along with Area office team of MTBD, which further boosted our morale to venture into the full range dealership a year ago.”
Randhawa’s confidence paid rich dividend in a year when they achieved the landmark of becoming a first-rate dealer of MTBD. Informed Gurjit Singh Randhawa, Director, Randhawa Motors: “We targeted our sales by fully built applications as per customers’ requirements including a few of the new Furio ICV range, in the first quarter of this year. The first vehicle is sold because of the vehicle features, but the subsequent sale happens because of quality service and word of mouth. We are happy that we are able to surpass our customers’ as well as Mahindra’s expectations.”
Customer connect
Coming from an engineering background and having connections with fleet operators who trust Randhawa Automobile Engineering for various body building assignments helped Randhawa Motors in understanding customers’ requirement. “Experience in the body-building segment, we knew exactly what the requirement for the customers are and could suggest them right vehicles for their application. When we connect with a customer, we fill a profiling form which tells us about the customers’ load requirement, routes, application, etc. Later we also give a load trial to the customer onto their preferred route, accompanied by our and their driver. The field test trial, on our vehicle gives the customer supreme confidence about the fuel efficiency, load carrying capacity and how early the vehicle can get assistance in case of a breakdown,” beamed Mr. G.P. Singh Randhawa, Director, Randhawa Motors, who oversees the sales aspect of the business.
With respect to service, Randhawa Motors already have 10 service bays. They are creating another six. “Service is an integral and the most essential part of the dealership and we have ensured that we get everything sorted for the customer when his vehicle arrives at the service bays. We have stock of fast-moving parts as well as necessities like Adblue and ReCon engine. The vehicles are serviced by trained technicians under the guidelines given by the MTBD team. Customers have also immensely benefited from the Annual Maintenance Contracts (AMCs) and the warranties assured by MTBD,” asserted Gurjit Singh, who oversees the service aspect of the business.
In order to avoid mis-communication between them and fleet manager of an operator, the team at the dealership sends service alert indication to the customers as soon as the vehicle hits the service bay. “We send SMS notification when the truck comes for service. It is to sensitise the fleet-manager or the owner about the entry time of the vehicle. Post the service we send a ‘task complete’ SMS and gauge for the feedback about the service to sense the satisfaction level of the customer,” explained Gurjit Singh.
Another aspect of the customer connect activity that drew attention was that it is done keeping in mind the buyer’s delight. “In a customized approach, we also make AV for customers, with their logo, while handing over the vehicle. We give them a souvenir photo-frame of the customer, poster of the vehicle delivery, with the client’s logo, and make the whole vehicle buying process a memorable experience, forming a strong camaraderie between each other,” shared G.P. Singh.
Honing the process
An important aspect that signalled at future growth, both in terms of volumes and technology at Randhawa, is the commitment to learnings. They not only put a lot of emphasis on training and development of the work forces but also on matching foot with the changing times. “With the implementation of BS-VI, the need for vehicles to rely on the service network of the authorized dealers will be higher than that of the road side workshops. Hence, we have trained and certified technicians from MTBD and also have conduct inhouse training from time to time,” added G.P. Singh.
Built on two acres of land, the dealership looked fully equipped with high efficiency tools, cutting-edge diagnostics machines and mobile service vans & mobile workshop. It promises to add value to customers by aiding them in extended warranty, 24×7 roadside assistance, vehicle tracking systems, driver training, and on-site service.
M.S. Randhawa added: “The facility is bolstered by modern machineries, including as basics as wheel alignment to a complex task pertaining to engines – with a Recon engine plant inhouse. Another factor that helped us achieve the highest HCV sales in pan India is our ability to service the vehicles as quickly as possible. We are prepared with two mobile service vans to help customers in breakdown well before the stipulated time promised by MTBD.”
Randhawa Motors Mahindra dealership is part of MTBD’s aggressive expansion plan that the company had set out to achieve in the last 2-3 years. In order to ensure customers have peace of mind when it comes to breakdown and services. The MTBD 41 service touch-points, one every 100 km, with a guaranteed service reach of 4 hours or Rs. 500 compensation for every hour of delay. This is the second such corridor after the Mumbai-Delhi service corridor which caters to nearly 30 per cent of truck movement.
MTBD also has India’s first multi-language 24×7 helpline, “NOW” which is manned by technical experts to provide instant support to customers and drivers. The NOW mobile service vans and mobile workshops further add to the reach and agility of the support network.
It is MTBDs confidence and camaraderie in associates like Randhawa Motors that has put both the partners on the growth path, paving way for a mutually rewarding partnership.