Service rules

Bangalore, Sept. 26: Zen and the art of motorcycle (rather, car) maintenance just got rewritten.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor today inaugurated an express maintenance service for customers who want to get their cars serviced in an hour, establishing a global benchmark in vehicle servicing.

Gone are the days when a car owner had to plan several days ahead, fix an appointment, leave home early and reach the company-appointed service station in the early morning rush. Add to it the inconvenience of being immobile the whole day and the late evening pick-up after a hard day’s work.

The system reduces service time for Toyota vehicles from one day to just an hour.

Owners of the Innova, Camry, Corolla or the Qualis — a big favourite with BPO companies — can get their cars serviced in an hour at the express maintenance service outlet at Ravindu Toyota, one of the dealers in Bangalore.

Drive in and an agent will take over your car and before you learn to say thank you in Japanese, the vehicle is delivered to you — laundry fresh after a 150-point check.

The facility is the first of its kind in India by any car manufacturer and the second Toyota dealer after a pilot project in Mumbai. No other manufacturer in the country, including the largest-selling Maruti Suzuki, has this facility. Even Mercedes, with its select dealerships in the metros, does not offer it.

BPO cab owners, pressed for time and with poor maintenance schedules, will be the happiest lot. So will be high-profile executives, who can get off their cars and pick them up after lunch.

General manager (customer service) K. Kuroda said this periodic maintenance facility would cost customers the same as a normal day-long service. This initiative utilises the Toyota production system and Kaizen methodologies to increase customer satisfaction and retention. “The aim is to raise the level of performance in customer service,” he said.

The express maintenance service has managed to reduce servicing time by eliminating stagnation time and by reducing process time.

Process Kaizen will reduce lead-times and guarantees vehicle delivery in very little time. K.K. Swamy, deputy managing director, said such initiatives strengthen after-sales operations and improve customer care standards.

Swamy said the express service would be extended to other metros by this year-end.