Renault Samsung invests in services

When we compare our Korean customers’ expectations with other markets, we note very high expectations of having showrooms and service centers nearby, the availability of appointments and the quality of service.

In many European countries, specific service chains have thrived by differentiating themselves with a no-appointment-needed policy, but in Korea this is the basic service offered by service shops, thanks to the “ppali ppali” Korean culture.

The reception areas are much bigger than in other countries with customers comfortably seated and many reception people available to avoid any delay in the process.

The second main difference is that many customers like to wait in the service shops benefiting from outstanding customer lounges with free coffee, Internet, TV and newspapers.

Third, customers also want extended working hours like late at night, on Saturdays and Sundays. It is always surprising for me to see so many service outlets open on Saturday.

Renault Samsung Motors’ service policy is focused on customer satisfaction. The company enjoyed 10 consecutive years at No. 1 in Marketing Insight’s survey, from 2002 to 2011. RSM continually improves its processes and facilities to deliver the best customer experience in its class.

In the last few years RSM renewed the facilities of its outlets with better equipped waiting rooms including Internet access, Wi-Fi, newspapers, TV and other free services.

Customers can also watch their car being repaired through huge windows in the waiting rooms.

To facilitate the access to our services centers, we added 27 new outlets last year totaling 462 nationwide, and 10 more are under development in 2013 to improve coverage and capacity.

Innovative services will bring added value to the customers with seven years of extended warranty and its Vehicle Economically Irreparable program.

In August 2011, RSM launched a new extended warranty service that covers all current cars sold to a maximum seven years for any problem on the car. This service gives peace of mind to customers who keep their car beyond the normal warranty period or resell it. If you sell your car, the extended warranty is transferred to the new owner, making Renault Samsung cars easier to sell. More than 2,000 customers have already chosen this service.

At the end of 2011, RSM also launched a new accident repair service that lets owners keep their car even if the cost of repair is higher than its value.

In the current difficult situation, our customers can decide to repair their cars instead of buying a new one.

In May 2012, RSM launched its service brand. The concept is to deliver peace of mind to customers through best-in-class repair services from highly trained technicians according to the Renault Group standard, which is called the Cotech System, RSM-approved parts and innovative services. To celebrate the launch, RSM organized a nationwide event in 100 places around Korea with 8,000 customers receiving free checkups and replacements of some items.

To complete the launch, RSM made three major innovative promises that represent lifetime commitments to our customers.

RSM will help customers with a free lifetime towing service to the nearest RSM-designated repair center, regardless of warranty period and mileage, from anywhere in Korea simply by calling our Angel Center at (080) 300-3000.

RSM also delivers transparent and accurate repair estimates. The whole repair will be free of charge if any work was done without customer agreement.

RSM provides a one-year warranty on repairs using standard parts validated by Renault Samsung Motors.

On top of that, RSM checks the main safety features (including nondurable parts like brake pads and tires) during the repair, which means that customers are reassured of their car’s condition and safety.

These three innovative promises aim at delivering the best-in-class repair service experience in Korea for the whole benefit of our customers during their vehicle life.

Endless love and best-in-class service enables us to maintain our customer loyalty during their vehicle life.

Our internal surveys validate this policy with the best service loyalty among car national manufacturers, at the 65 percent level.

By Guillaume Latte

The author is currently service & parts marketing chief at the company in Seoul. The opinions reflected in the article are his own. ― Ed.