Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. is one of India’s leading four-wheeler automobile manufacturers and the market leader in the car segment, both in terms of volume of vehicles sold and revenue earned. Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan holds a majority stake in the company. It was the first company in India to mass-produce and sell more than a million cars. The company headquarter is in Gurgaon, Haryana (near Delhi). More than half of the total number of cars sold in India wears a Maruti Suzuki badge.
History: Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983 with the Maruti 800, based on the Suzuki Alto kei car which at the time was the only modern car available in India, its’ only competitors- the Hindustan Ambassador and Premier Padmini were both around 25 years out of date at that point. Through 2004, Maruti has produced over 5 Million vehicles. On 17 September 2007, Maruti Udyog was renamed Maruti Suzuki India Limited.
Product Mix: Maruti Suzuki offers 13 models, Maruti 800, Alto, Ritz, A Star, Swift, Wagon R, Zen Estilo, Dzire, SX4, Grand Vitara. Swift dzire, A star and SX4 are maufactured in Manesar, Grand Vitara is imported from Japan as a completely built unit (CBU), remaining all models are manufactured in Maruti Suzuki’s Gurgaon Plant. Customer Relationship Management: In these competitive times the challenge is to keep inventing newer ways of doing things to keep the customers in your fold.
Over the last few years, the company strengthened the existing practices and experimented with many new initiatives by way of kaizens (continuous improvements) to delight its customers. These initiatives ranged from product design and quality to network expansion, and included new service programs to meet unsaid needs of customers. The company has retained its competitive edge by offering high quality products. In the field, the products are supported by rapidly expanding networks.
The company has diverse networks for new cars, spares, service, pre owned cars and so on, and all of them were in expansion mode last year to enable the company get closer to the customer. Servicing customers 24X7 ….. 365 days…. The company takes great pride in sharing that customers have rated Maruti Suzuki first once again in Customer Satisfaction Survey conducted by independent body, J. D. Power Asia Pacific. It is 9th time in a row. The company was first car company in India to launch a Call Centre in the year 2000.
The award mirrors the company’s commitment towards “Customer Obsession”. Key Initiatives Car pickup & delivery facility for women car owners. Quote Unquote: “The study finds that vehicle pickup and delivery before and after service has a strong impact on customer satisfaction. In particular, customers who say that their vehicle was picked up from their doorstep before service and delivered to the same point after service are notably more delighted with their after-sales service experience, compared with customers who do not receive this service…. Maruti also launched mission to promote safe driving habits jointly with Institute of Driving Training and Research. It also launched ‘Dil Se’- a special program for Indians living abroad or NRIs, to facilitate them to gift Maruti cars online to friends and relatives at home. Online club ‘Swift Life’ is made for all Swift owners. Setting up “Express Service Bays” & “2 – Technician Bays” As the name suggests the company set out to delight its customers by offering them faster car service by introducing new concepts such as Express Service Bays & 2- Technicians Bays.
These are done for customers who are hard pressed for time. Both the initiatives undertaken in this direction have helped improve customer interface and also helped increase the productivity and capacity of existing workshops. Mega Camps The company aggressively conducts ‘Mega Camps’ throughout the country round the year. Activities undertaken during a mega camp include complimentary car wash, AC & Pollution check up, oil and fuel top ups, wheel alignments etc.
Apart from mega camps workshop camps like A/C checkup camps, PUC and general check-up camps, Locality camps , Pre monsoon camps etc are also regularly conducted as part of customer connect initiatives. Service at Door Step through Maruti Mobile Support Another unique initiative is the door step service facility through Maruti Mobile Support. Maruti Mobile Support is a first of it’s kind initiative and is expected not only to help the company reach out customers in metro cities but also as a mean to reach semi urban /rural areas where setting up of new workshop may not be viable Car Safety device: Immobilizer.
The company used technology to meet customer needs and even delight them. Following feedback that the company’s cars were more prone to theft owing to their resale value, the company worked on an anti-theft immobilizer or “I-Cats;” system for all its new cars. Complete car needs The company’s effort of providing all car-related needs — from learning to drive a car at Maruti Driving Schools to car insurance, extended warranty and eventually exchanging the existing car for a new one — under one roof at dealerships also enhances customer satisfaction.
