6 October, 2016
Mitsubishi shows strength in depth for aftersales service
Establishment of national Technical Service Skills Competition raises the bar for customer care
Mitsubishi Motors NZ (MMNZ) continues to step up its game when it comes to delivering outstanding aftersales service.
Hot on the heels of winning Best Call Centre of the Year, and already offering the best new car warranty in the country, the brand is proud to announce the winners of its inaugural Technical Service Skills Competition.
Javan Huxtable of Houston Motors in Nelson and Michael Strudwick of Wellington’s Mexted Mitsubishi have been named Best
Service Technician and Best Service Advisor respectively.
The competition is MMNZ’s latest investment in customer care – an intensive test of technical knowledge and workshop
service skills designed to raise the bar for Mitsubishi service teams nationwide.
After two online examinations, 50 participants were whittled down to a field of 11 finalists.
The elite final, featuring theory and practical assessments, was held at a state-of-the-art training workshop at MMNZ’s
Porirua headquarters.
Mitsubishi aftersales manager Noel Comerford said Michael and Javan were worthy winners.
“All 11 finalists performed at a really high level, but those two were the best. They both exhibited excellent all-round
skills, proving their efficiency and professionalism in a workshop environment.
“It’s important that outstanding individuals get the recognition they deserve, and also that staff across the country
are incentivised to continue improving through some friendly competition!
“We hope this gives customers confidence that, if they need to take their vehicle in for service, our technicians can
quickly and correctly diagnose and remedy any issue there may be. Overall, it’s about ensuring customers enjoy the best
experience possible.”
World-beaters?
Michael and Javan will now fly to Japan to represent New Zealand in the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s international
competition final.
Michael said he is looking forward to the trip and will do everything he can to win.
“I don’t like losing, so I’ll definitely give it my all!”
He said he was particularly pleased to win the MMNZ competition due to the “high calibre” of the other finalists.
“I learned a lot from the experience. Ultimately, it’s all about going through the processes with customer in the best
way possible – making sure they have alternative transport arranged, ensuring everything they want checked is looked at,
and explaining what’s been done.”
Michael also credited his success to the team culture at Mexted Mitsubishi, which received recognition for Excellence in
Customer Service at MMNZ’s annual Diamond Dealer awards earlier this year.
Javan cited his familiarity with the Mitsubishi Multi-use Tester tool as a winning advantage.
“I’ve always been pretty good with that sort of thing and I know how to access all the different manuals. During the
final training session, I really learnt the importance of following every step carefully – because you can’t cut corners
when you’re trying to diagnose the cause of a problem.”
Strength in depth
Mitsubishi head of sales and marketing strategy Daniel Cook paid tribute to all who took part in the competition, and
highlighted the competition’s role in a broader approach to ensuring the company delivers the best aftersales service
possible.
“It’s great to see people fired up and inspired to learn and prove themselves against friends and colleagues. Service
technicians don’t always get the recognition they deserve in the public eye, but they are vital to delivering a smooth,
stress-free service for any customer who needs to call on their expertise.
“We are committed to ensuring that every aspect of aftersales care is performed to the very highest standard – and we
believe that customer satisfaction at every level is helping to drive us towards a seventh consecutive year of growth.
We won’t be taking our foot of the pedal on any front any time soon!”
2016 MMNZ Technical Service Skills Competition finalists:
Service Advisors
• Michael Strudwick – Mexted Mitsubishi
• Steve Newson – Hutt City Mitsubishi
• Andrew Sander – Simon Lucas Mitsubishi
• Ben Elgar – McVerry Crawford Mitsubishi Palmerston North
• Alexa Marsh – Bay City Mitsubishi
• Andrew Eyles – Simon Lucas Mitsubishi
Service Technicians
• Javan Huxtable – Houston Motors Nelson
• Clinton Armstrong – Ingham Mitsubishi Hamilton
• Josef Buhler – WR Phillips
• Japie Nel – Auckland Motors
• Kerry Butters – Mexted Mitsubishi
ends