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Reaching out to Customers

Our customers have rated us first in J D Power's Customer Satisfaction Survey for eight consecutive  
years.

When we achieved it first time in 2000, people were skeptical. They could not fathom how could a
  market leader like us manage to keep happy such a vast and diverse group of customers.

The answer perhaps lies in our approach towards customer satisfaction.

Being first in a Customer Satisfaction rating was not just simply about winning an award. Rather, it became our weapon to fight and win in this
  competitive market place

   

  How we evolved our approach?

   

There was a time( in late 1990's) when we faced some real competition with the entry of global players into India.

We went back to the basics: What was it that the Indian customer desired? Maruti had the right products for India, ones with reliable quality, low
cost, top performance and so on. What else could we offer our customers?
 
It was then that we decided to focus on Customer Satisfaction. Caring for the customer, thinking from his and her point of view, building transparency
in our interactions, orienting ourselves to face the customer's needs and concerns rather than the other way round. If we could do all that, our
satisfied customers would recommend our products to their friends and relatives and themselves buy their next car from us.

   

There was nothing new about this strategy; all companies swear by customer satisfaction.

The challenge for us was to go beyond words and make it all work, convert intention into action, translate an intangible mission to tangible benefits,
  evolve from random and one-off customer benefit gestures to a consistent and systematic effort to satisfy the customer.

We had to strive to internalise Customer Satisfaction and make it a way of life for ourselves.

   

  Winning became a habit

   

  The JD Power CSI in 2000 was the first endorsement from the customer that we were on track. Before that, we were told that no market leader in
any country had ever been rated first in Customer Satisfaction. Market leaders have many more customers to satisfy, and are unable to give them
attention like niche players can. In India, where Maruti had more than half the market, the challenge was even greater.

After we won it once, the next task was to repeat it in 2001. No manufacturer, we were told again, had ever won it twice. We broke that record too.
Then the hat-trick, four-in-a-row, five-in-a-row and now, a eight. In all these years, the car market has nearly doubled, customer expectations have
multiplied, number of models has gone up, technology has evolved, our own dealer network has grown in size and reach. The only common factor
throughout has been Maruti's rating in J D Power CSI.

"Maruti Suzuki's overall strength lies in building an organization that is sharply focused on the voice of the customer,"
 said Mohit Arora, India director at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. "Maruti's consistent performance in the study over the past
several years has resulted in a steady increase in the percentage of its customers who say they intend to remain loyal
to the brand."

   

  View the JD Power Report

   

  About J.D. Power Asia Pacific

   

J.D. Power Asia Pacific, established in 1990, conducts customer satisfaction research and provides consulting services in the automotive, information
  technology and finance industries. Information regarding J.D. Power Asia Pacific and its products can be accessed through the Internet at
www.jdpower.co.jp