aBr June 2014 June 2014 | Page 18

cover feature Driven by Customer C.A.R.E. and the Environment Regular readers of aBr will know all about the teachings of Dr Trilogy, and his constant refrain that C.A.R.E. = Customers Are Really Everything. Someone who lives and breathes this philosophy is Action Motor Group Krugersdorp Hartogh Streicher, dealer principal at the Action Motor Group Krugersdorp. ➲ Hartogh Streicher, dealer principal at Action Ford, is leading the way in both customer care and environmental awareness T he flagship of the Action Motor Group is its Action Ford dealership at 201 Voortrekker Road, Monument, Krugersdorp, and a telling statistic is the fact that 70% of Action Ford’s vehicle sales come from repeat customers and referrals. This is extremely high and Streicher attributes this to the customer care culture that he has inculcated at his dealerships. And it is little wonder that Action Ford always ranks as one of the top CVP dealers (Customer View Point), as independently measured by Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa via Ipsos surveys. Streicher says that “customer service level measurement is just as key as financial measurement” and that is why he has implemented customer care initiatives at Action Ford. He is acutely focused on the after sales side of the business, as this is where he can stand out from the rest, and he proudly points out that many of the referrals come from customers who have had their vehicles serviced at the dealership. One example of this innovative approach is the one coffee shop that serves both the vehicle sales and service clientele. Another example is the paperless workshop system which was implemented on 1 May 2014. Electronic job cards have many benefits, not least the time saving aspect, but the critical benefit of electronic job cards is the guidance this system gives to the technicians in the inspection | words in action 16 june 2014 of the vehicle, which results in a comprehensive evaluation of the car, as well as the road safety benefits. And of course, the saving of paper is environmentally friendly, and this is the biggest passion of Streicher, and the reason for this cover feature. A visit to Streicher’s office will soon give you a clue to his environmental credentials, with a wild life photography book taking pride of place on his coffee table, but it is in conversation that you soon realise that environmental issues are close to his heart. He is active in many environmental initiatives, and very close to home, right next door to the Action Ford dealership, is the Vleiloerie Bird Sanctuary, which is currently under rehabilitation, under the guidance of