Scania cares
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E Scania has begun a drive to improve its customer aftercare service, and will introduce a £150a-day compensation system in the New Year for emergency repairs taking more than 24 hours.
Called Max 24, the scheme will pay customers, whose Scanias are regularly serviced and maintained in franchised workshops, £150 a day if their vehicle is off the road for more than a day. "We're putting our money where our mouth is," says after-sales director Paul Hirons.
The manufacturer has tightened up its credit control process, by means of a screen-to-screen computer system after discovering that the biggest bold-up in emergency repairs was obtaining a guarantee of payment. New creditworthy customers are listed on a computer, together with a credit limit which, Hirons says, usually means repairs can start as soon as the mechanic arrives "drastically minimising the down time resulting from a breakdown". Hirons says this won't necessarily mean hauliers without a credit listing are left on the roadside: "We'll help them where we can."
A further improvement to the system is the introduction of a single after-sales department covering parts, service and training. Scania sees this as vital to keep up
with the increasing demands on workshops with vehicles becoming more sophisticated and maintenance requirements dropping.
"Repair and maintenance needs have been falling over many years at the rate of about two hours per year ... resulting in maintenance requirements halving over the past 20 years", says Hirons. Scania hopes the after sales department will fill the gap left by small fleet workshops closing.
Scania has created a standalone contract hire company, as truck sales continue to fall. The Scania Contracts company will operate with two divisions, covering contract hire arid finance.