Maruti Suzuki has opened up its first Nexa-branded service centre in the country. Unlike its standard service centre, Maruti will cater to its customers with a revamped set of features and experience, which they deem as premium.
The first centre has been set up in Gurugram, with over 70 or more of these expected to open up pan India by the end of FY2017, as confirmed by the automaker. Most of these will be located in the top 30 cities of the country; Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai among others.
The centre will be run by franchisee partners, who will work with the automaker to ensure that the design and service of the space is uniform across all points.
In addition to the premium touches, the service centre opts for a paperless approach, with the use of tablets as a job card and other essential aspects covered within the realms of servicing. You even get the option of pick-and-drop service via special shuttle service that operates at specific times during the day.
That’s not all, you can even watch the live stream of cars getting serviced, in case you don’t have the spare time to sit and watch the mechanics working at the service centre.
The centre has a premium waiting lounge which can cater to 10-12 customers at a time, who will be allotted time via pre-booking which can be done from the app.
So, why is Maruti setting up a premium service shop? Interestingly, Maruti Suzuki highlighted that 51% of customers visiting the Nexa showroom end up buying cars from there. And by embellishing their service support, the number can only go up from here.
Maruti has also kept a close eye on the green aspect at the service centre, which they claim, has been done by reducing use of water by 75%, fitting air ventilators, and thereby keeping the service space clean and safe from harmful smoke emission.
So, the big question – will the premium service come at a higher service cost? To answer that, Randhir Singh Kalsi, Head-Domestic Sales & Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India said that it’ll cost customers 10-15% more than what they pay at the normal Maruti Suzuki service centre. And they’re doing this because ‘customers don’t mind spending extra if they get quality service experience’.
So, clearly, Maruti Suzuki, for a change, is focusing on quality, rather than quantity.
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)