Total quality management.
By Mike Edwards, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer
Reading this latest Dealer Insight, one thing jumped out at me, the focus on Total Quality Management (TQM). I was delighted to see it and, in particular, the reference to quality in terms of the customer experience.
TQM for Inchcape Mini Chelmsford is about delivering outstanding customer satisfaction, achieved through a business-wide commitment to consistency and ‘right first time,’ which eliminates errors/faults in the buying experience.
Rigorous, consistent processes and controls are central to quality. The origins of the Quality movement were in manufacturing, where businesses, including the MINI factory in Oxford, use quality tools to try and eliminate faults by embedding consistency into their production.
In the service sector, the manufacturing quality aim of almost zero faults is hard to replicate. In short, the variables in selling a car, finance, GAP sale, or at AutoProtect Group, resolving a claim, or helping a dealer achieve FCA compliance are seldom the same every time. Nevertheless, by embracing TQM principles rigorously, service experiences can achieve seismic improvements. By way of example, our iClaims process has taken significant time and friction out of the claims process.
I applaud Tom Carney and his leadership team at Inchcape MINI Chelmsford for their focus and approach to quality. Consistency is crucial, as are KPIs. However, it is in the actions that bring consistency to life and the business’ recognition of the need to reimagine how to support its customers/potential customers that I am most impressed. Leadership, a coaching culture, the right digital tools and a commitment to keep evolving the customer experience, especially as the market shifts from ICEs to EVs, are all prominent.
In sales and F&I, with the FCA’s Consumer Duty on the horizon, we must be consistent in being personal and fair to every customer.
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