“If we are not customer driven, nor will our cars be.” Henry Ford
As you read this article, I believe you will discover the real key to true greatness. The key is to be of service to others. No matter who you are, if you are breathing you are in customer service in one way or another. The concept of service has not been understood by most people. Whether you are Madonna, or Billy Graham, you are in customer service. We are all rewarded materially based on the pleasure or service we bring to do all the great ones have in common? They have an attitude of being of service instead of being self-serving. They all serve their audiences or customers with impeccable excellence which resulted in them becoming great.
THE AUTOMOTIVE Industrial Engineering Jobs Near Me CRISIS
We have a crisis in this country underlying the financial crisis. I believe that it is at the root of the present financial crisis. It is called the CUSTOMER SERVICE CRISIS! The word crisis in Chinese means danger yet opportunity. We definitely have lots of opportunity to improve in our nation in the area of customer service. I think it is the real financial problem we face today. I am not an economic genius, but I am a customer service expert. I am tired of watching people put band-aids on economic cancer. So I am writing a series of articles which will get to the root of the economic problem and if heeded could help turn this crisis around.
AMERICA WAS BUILT ON SERVICE, BUT TODAY WE HAVE BECOME “SELF-SERVING!”
We have a service crisis that has caused a financial crisis in everything from banking to housing, and of course, GM, Chrysler and others bleeding, and people losing their livelihoods and retirements you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see it. Have you had any poor customer service lately? Cold food or dirty restrooms, Late deliveries, Defective parts, Unfulfilled orders, Lazy, rude staff (this is epidemic!!!)
I started out in the auto industry in the mid 70s or what we now call the good old days. I was working for the largest GM dealership in Alaska and one of the largest in the country. This was when GM was GM! I started out washing cars (or busting suds as we use to say). I eventually moved up and became a corporate trainer for the SOUTHEAST Automotive group. One thing I noticed over the years was the deterioration of customer service in the automotive industry. My first boss was a thirty year company man that was customer driven and he constantly reminded us that without a customer we would all be unemployed!
I drank the kool-aid, I believed him. But as the years passed, I noticed that the customer started to become more of a statistic on a graph in a conference room where strategies for up-selling and getting more out of each transaction at the point of sale was the …
Tag: crisis
Role of Hybrid Cars in the Current Auto Crisis
The downfall of the economy has left a major effect on the automotive industry. The automotive industry crisis of 2008-2009 is just another of the unprecedented events in the car industry’s long history. The collapse of the economy and the consequent slowing down has affected the U.S. auto markets much more than the European or the Asian markets.
This fall started during the 2003-2008 energy crises that resulted in the collapse of poor fuel-efficient vehicles like sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks. The Big Three of the American market Basic Knowledge Of Industrial Engineering slowly had to admit their defeat when car sales began to slide. The rise in prices of raw materials that were essential for car manufacturing was another factor that led to its great plunge.
In the meantime, the Big Three, GM, Ford and Chrysler, were facing criticism for their irresponsible role in ignoring the impact their cars had on environmental politics. Al Gore, in the 2007 edition of his book, ‘An Inconvenient Truth”, said that these companies are “trying to sell large, inefficient gas-guzzlers” in spite of the poor demand for their products.
The U.S. auto’s fuel efficiency requirement was another critical aspect, which along with these other factors, made the market formulate a switch to European and Japanese cars for a solution. While the car manufacturers were striving for 45 mpg in Japan, 35 mpg in China, 52 mpg in the EU by 2012, this figure was a pitiful 25 mpg in the U.S. resulting in a public outcry. Moreover, the impact it would impose on the environment made it a major cause of worry for environmentalists and politicians alike.
As a result, in the middle of the auto crisis, some took this opportunity to present new potential options. These were hybrid cars. After the launch of the first hybrid car in 1999 in the U.S., the Honda Insight, there was no looking back. Statistics reveal that the first 17 sales in December 1999 was followed by the sale of 1.5 million hybrids.
Today the competition with hybrid car manufacturers has risen tremendously. Hybrid car manufacturers, like the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid FWD and Honda Civic Hybrid 2010, aim at 51/48 mpg, 41/36 mpg and 40/45 mpg fuel efficiency, respectively, on both city roads and the highway. The increased efficiency of these cars brought down the cost to drive 125 miles to an amount between $1.71 and $1.31.
In the current economic crunch where every penny counts, hybrid cars ensure maximum service to its customers. Toyota, for example, offers a 100,000 mile warranty on the battery pack and emission components, and Honda offers an 80,000 mile warranty. The reduction in wear and tear results in better savings for consumers.
Annual greenhouse gas emissions are significantly lower, with the Honda Accord claiming 6.8 tons, and Manufactured Products Definition the Honda Civic Hybrid showing 4.4 tons annually, and an annual 8 tons for premier gasoline engine.
In short, with better fuel efficiency, interesting price …