Shopping for a brand new automobile is all the time thrilling. And auto manufacturers go to nice lengths – and spend billions of {dollars} in myriad methods – attracting prospects into showrooms to entice them into one thing shiny and new.
However after the deal is completed, proudly owning a automobile could be a completely different story altogether.
Some manufacturers make investments simply as a lot effort in aftersales assist and buyer care to make sure the possession expertise lives as much as expectations.
Right here, we sit down with Honda Australia’s common supervisor of possession expertise, James Greenwood, to search out out what goes on behind the scenes – and after the contract is signed – on the Japanese automaker’s native division.
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What’s your background and what does your position because the boss of possession expertise entail?
I’ve been with Honda Australia for nearly 12 years now, and most of my position has been within the Possession Expertise division and varied management roles.
Earlier than that I labored at Holden for 10 years in roles throughout advertising, export, pricing, automobile distribution and finance. I ultimately ended up within the international buying and provide chain finance house earlier than I got here throughout to Honda.
It took me a while to regulate from an American-centric firm to a Japanese firm tradition, nevertheless it didn’t take too lengthy to begin to actually see Honda’s approach of doing issues, from the tradition and the philosophy to the worldwide may of one of many world’s really superb firms.
I really feel just like the ethos of the corporate, its dedication to taking care of our prospects and its difficult spirit comes out in all the things we do.
Just lately my position expanded to supervise the Possession Expertise parts for all of Honda in Australia together with our motorbike, energy tools and marine companies.
My expertise up so far has given me a terrific view of the client from a number of touchpoints and now I get to place it altogether in possession expertise.
In case you’re unclear on what possession expertise is precisely, it’s principally all the things apart from promoting the product – that’s the best approach to describe it. From service and spare elements, all the provision chain parts, buyer care, high quality, compliance, and all our technical assist for the networks as nicely.
In Australia, Honda sells automobiles, bikes, energy tools, and marine engines – so that you may see us on land, sea, or at your native Bunnings. About two and a half years in the past, we began to do some unification work to deliver these enterprise items collectively, which implies I now take care of all of Honda’s merchandise in Australia.
Having that variety of product and buyer has meant it’s been a extremely, actually thrilling couple of years attending to be uncovered to completely different sides of the enterprise after a few years specializing in automotive solely.
So, what’s your favorite half about working for a model like Honda?
Apart from the day-to-day, I’ve an absolute love for Honda, and it’s a core cause why I’m nonetheless right here after greater than a decade.
The model has supplied me with loads of alternative and personally I’ve had loads of progress throughout my 10-plus years. I like the best way issues are finished. Once more, the Honda philosophy we’ll discuss actually sings to me as nicely.
I grew up on a farm and will trip motorbikes earlier than I may stroll after which drive vehicles earlier than I may do the rest. Something that had an engine had a Honda in it together with our pumps, cherry pickers and motorbikes. All the things was Honda.
So it was good to have the ability to have that connection from early years, and to truly work for an organization that basically takes care of its prospects and produces such a great product.
Not many manufacturers supply the breadth of merchandise that Honda does and, with some actually enjoyable merchandise on the best way this yr like Prelude and Tremendous-One, it’s clear that we’re heading into an actual purple patch with our future product.
What are a few of the key metrics that you just measure success by by way of high quality and buyer expectations?
A buyer may spend hours researching earlier than shopping for a bike, or a automobile or any product from our energy tools and marine divisions, however they spend years and years proudly owning it. So, the touchpoints are essential.
Finally, the largest measure of success is how we ship an distinctive possession expertise and retain our prospects. To that finish, Honda has been in Australia for 57 years now and throughout the nation it nonetheless sees many shoppers handing their Honda merchandise down within the household, quite than promoting.
Trying long run, we all know that if we offer that excellence in constant experiences, it should give us the very best likelihood to be on the purchasing record once more when prospects come again to purchase a automobile, motorbike, energy tools, or marine outboard engine.
What are a very powerful parts customers anticipate from Honda after they’ve bought a automobile? Clearly, in the event that they’ve finished their analysis, they know what they’re getting, however what are the expectations after that?
Firstly, you consider the product and its high quality, sturdiness and reliability. And I believe now greater than ever that’s one thing that we actually must lean into in such a aggressive market.
When individuals get behind the wheel of a Honda, we all know they fall in love fairly shortly – they’ll contact and really feel the standard – and we have to preserve that feeling alive via ongoing day-to-day possession, to not point out enjoyable!
As a model, we work extraordinarily carefully with our Honda Centre and supplier networks as a result of they’re the face and the touchpoint for our prospects. We see success as having a real partnership with them and persistently delivering Honda’s model values and demonstrating our distinctive product in a approach that helps individuals perceive it.
With regards to supporting our prospects with on a regular basis possession, now we have a well-oiled provide chain machine that’s been in place for nearly 60 years now in Australia that’s centered on guaranteeing now we have the suitable elements in the suitable place on the proper time.
That’s one other key energy of ours – the peace of thoughts for our prospects that if one thing doesn’t go their approach we may have your again.
Have you ever seen quantitative modifications within the buyer expertise since Honda’s transfer to an company gross sales mannequin?
That’s a extremely good query and the straightforward reply is sure, we completely have.
A giant a part of shifting to a brand new enterprise mannequin was a brand new strategy to the possession worth proposition. It’s not simply the value of the automobile – it’s the entire worth providing for our prospects.
That’s the reason Honda developed its market-leading Honda Low Worth Service providing. Our 5 low-price companies have supplied immense possession worth for our prospects and, in return, has generated file buyer retention.
My position within the enterprise mannequin transition was to give attention to nurturing our present buyer base, which initially was fairly difficult. Nevertheless, alongside the journey we learnt loads and we’re now ready of energy and geared to develop.
What are a few of the issues that shock or delight new house owners in regards to the possession expertise of a Honda?
Effectively for me personally, it’s actually across the worth that they’ve in shopping for and proudly owning a brand new Honda.
Once we launched the brand new idea of 5 low-price companies with 5 years of manufacturing unit guarantee and 5 years of premium roadside help included with each new Honda, we needed to underline the nice possession worth prospects get after they buy with us.
However we didn’t need to cease there – we launched our Honda Prolong program in 2024, which delivers eight years of Honda manufacturing unit guarantee and eight years premium roadside help (5 years manufacturing unit with three years service-activated).
In order that was one other approach for us to guarantee our prospects that we’re standing behind our product.
Are there any variations within the aftersales expertise or expectations for patrons of your completely different mannequin strains? Does a Civic Sort R proprietor demand extra from you or something completely different than, say, a CR-V or HR-V proprietor?
It’s a great query. I believe by way of what our automotive merchandise are, there’s actual consistency in our possession expertise. And that was by alternative and by technique to make all the things easy, clear and clear it doesn’t matter what the automobile was.
Identical service worth, identical guarantee, identical possession worth propositions, regardless of which Honda automobile. The worth proposition is precisely the identical.
But when you concentrate on the expectations of a Sort R proprietor, for instance, they might have larger expectations of the extent of high quality of expertise they get, particularly for sustaining such a performance-oriented automobile.
Nationally we repeatedly assist our Honda Centre community in coaching, technician assist and, once more, having all of the required elements accessible at any cut-off date.
So whereas the worth proposition is constant, the position our community performs in delivering on our promise and taking care of our prospects is totally essential… as a result of nobody buyer is identical.
And equally for different Honda merchandise like bikes, energy tools and marine, are there any variations or distinctive attributes that these prospects require?
Sure, there’s. And I’ve discovered loads about this in the previous couple of years working the enterprise from that perspective. Whereas all of us come again to the core of being a world firm – it’s one enterprise – now we have completely different merchandise in broadly various markets, which implies our prospects are distinctive and their expectations are completely different as nicely.
We’re all the time methods to enhance our enterprise it doesn’t matter what product it’s, and whereas we nonetheless want to remain true to the individuality of the merchandise and the shoppers, the identical guidelines apply in every single place: have a extremely nice worth proposition, deal with the shoppers nicely, time and again, earn their belief, and provides them each cause to return again and purchase one other Honda.
On the subject of bikes, you clearly run the HART (Honda Australia Rider Coaching) centres in Victoria and NSW. What position do they play and the way vital are they?
Yeah, actually vital. 1989 is once we launched HART in Australia. Personally, I took my son and a gaggle of his mates to do the primary little learner course final yr at our HART facility in Somerton and so they completely cherished it!
I completely imagine HART is one thing that basically provides worth to the neighborhood. Not solely are you instructing highway security and expertise to trip a bike in the suitable approach, however you can too see the enjoyment that’s on everybody’s faces after they undergo the method.
Honda has a world imaginative and prescient to have zero fatalities the world over on our merchandise by 2050. In Australia, HART performs a extremely essential position in that first reference to Honda and constructing a terrific expertise as a way to make them secure on the roads.
At our HART facility in St Ives, New South Wales, we even have automobile driver coaching programs as nicely… something from learner to superior.
Honda is famend for its reliability and high quality. How does that stack up in actuality? What measures do you might have that justify that status?
We completely do. Our status for high quality, sturdiness and reliability has been a long time within the making. It’s a giant duty I maintain very near me to make sure we not solely proceed to carry this status however improve it as nicely.
The status can be constructed on the standard of expertise our prospects have with us. For a few years now I’ve actually inspired my buyer care staff to proactively work with prospects, to take heed to them and work on proactive options.
With this buyer centric strategy, it’s superb the way you’re in a position to flip a extremely unlucky buyer scenario into an especially constructive one, simply by the best way we’re listening to them and coping with them. It’s been a extremely good success and one other approach we construct belief with our prospects.
What’s the most dependable product within the Honda vary? Clearly, issues like lawnmowers and turbines should run for hours at a time…
It’s exhausting to say which one, to be sincere! The variety of tales you hear in regards to the excessive reliability of Honda, it doesn’t matter what product, has been superb.
Our four-stroke energy tools engines, for instance, are a staple and simply run all day, it doesn’t matter what it’s placed on. They’re superb.
How do you undertake ‘The Honda Philosophy’ into the possession expertise?
Each Honda worker will get this ebook after they begin working for the corporate and it’s the unique manifesto written by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa, the unique founders of Honda.
It’s superb, and I preserve it with me on a regular basis. I’ve used it so many occasions, both in a extremely difficult scenario or if I’m attempting to assume otherwise about one thing.
I’ll take out the ebook and skim via it… and practically each time I discover a reference that gives me with some steerage to get me again alongside the suitable path.
The sweetness is in its simplicity, the best way it’s ingrained via our tradition and the best way we work. And I’ve been to many various Honda international locations and Honda workplaces, and it’s in each certainly one of them. It’s a true international Honda Philosophy.
It facilities round what individuals will probably mirror on is the three joys: the enjoyment of shopping for, the enjoyment of promoting, and the enjoyment of making. And also you see the order is vital… the enjoyment of shopping for is first. That is finished to make sure we’re placing the client on the centre of all the things we do.
I’ll provide you with one other one right here: the 3S precept. Now, there’s three Ss in Japanese, however one is a C in English, which is Simplicity, Focus and Pace. You possibly can apply this to something actually, from particular tasks or looking for options for challenges, short-term, long-term methods… it’s countless.
You’ve talked about Honda’s low-price service coverage is a market chief for mainstream producers. How vital is that, first as a promoting software to get individuals into Hondas, after which clearly afterwards to keep up that relationship?
I believe it’s actually vital. We all know shopping for a automobile could be a actual emotional journey, forming an actual reference to the automobile.
And whereas generally possession prices will not be one thing that may be in entrance of thoughts firstly, the fact is prospects could spend hours shopping for a automobile however they spend years proudly owning a automobile and that’s our alternative to construct belief with our prospects.
Our prospects worth the simplicity and transparency of our price proposition, and it’s mirrored in our buyer retention… we’re pleased with how we are able to deliver to market to such a terrific worth proposition.
On the nuts-and-bolts aspect of issues, actually how do you handle spare elements stock to satisfy these buyer expectations in the case of automobile upkeep and restore?
I believe that our core benefit right here is the expertise that’s constructed up over having a powerful enterprise for practically 60 years in Australia. The tried and examined processes, methods and the skilled individuals now we have – our elements enterprise is a basis for taking care of our prospects.
We opened up a brand new Nationwide Components Distribution Centre in Melbourne three years in the past, the place we are able to inventory all of our elements for each product, so we’re in a position to have loads of synergies and enhance the best way we run the enterprise as nicely, which has been incredible. And finally, our sellers and prospects get the results of that.
Lastly, Honda Australia has a few new fashions arriving this yr together with the Prelude and the Tremendous-One as a devoted electrical automobile. How does that change issues by way of gross sales, service coaching and particular buyer care?
It’s a extremely good query and we’ve had loads of dialogue round it being the primary EV. From a technical perspective, loads of our automobiles already function high-voltage batteries in our hybrids so it’s simply the dimensions of the battery that modifications.
From that facet, our dealerships are already set as much as handle high-voltage batteries and have the talents and information to work on them.
We’ve had loads of nice discussions across the precise expertise we wish for our EV prospects, together with the vital possession worth proposition. We’re working via finalising that in the intervening time.
The Honda Tremendous-One could be very thrilling and goes to be a really cool automobile. After which there’s the return of Prelude, which appeals to the extra fanatic finish of market.
What are you trying ahead to with the Prelude from a buyer expectation perspective?
It’s such a legendary nameplate. I’ve heard so many tales that folks have about Prelude if you discuss to them. There’s so many individuals that I’ve met through the years who say issues like “Oh, my brother used to have this Prelude. It was superior… four-wheel steering… we cherished that automobile”.
I really feel very privileged to have the ability to work right here right now when the icon of Prelude is coming again.
Whereas that’s making a little bit of a buzz, we are able to’t neglect about the remainder of our mannequin vary and another thrilling product launches over the following 12 months as nicely. Extra fashions and extra prospects experiencing the enjoyment of proudly owning a Honda… I’m super-excited!
