Published: 4th April, 2019

Tata truck and bus customers are currently enjoying the benefits of an aftersales revolution that has been underway at the company for the past two years.

Mr Biju Joseph, head of aftersales at Tata Automobile Corporation SA, explains that since 2017 the company has prioritised three key areas: parts, network development and skills.

Tata is an OEM supplier of commercial vehicle parts and South Africa is supplied by Tata Motors India and Daewoo Korea. Every week a container of new parts arrives, which ensures a continuous supply and using fast, direct shipments, the containers arrive in South Africa within 14 days of dispatch.

Tata Automobile Corporation SA currently has a total parts stockholding worth in excess of 5-months, of its total monthly sales volume.

Mr Joseph states that when it comes to the top 500 fast-moving parts, the company desires a 100% 1^st pick rate, and is currently running at 97%. Tata’s overall 1st pick rate on truck and bus parts is currently 92%, although the goal is to achieve 95%.

Tata has a fully traceable inventory in its Johannesburg warehouse, which has increased its speed of picking and packing. The company has also categorised its truck and bus parts better and shifted the fast-moving stock to the front of the facility.

A world-class warehouse management system has been introduced and each part is clearly barcoded before being placed in single parts bins. Impressively, parts ordered by franchised Tata dealers are dispatched on the very same day they are ordered. Local Tata dealers can also collect parts themselves.

“We have taken a customer-centric approach,” explains Mr Joseph. “We know that our commercial vehicle customers cannot wait for parts.” To this end, a new courier – DSV – has been stationed permanently at Tata’s head office in Germiston, while a standby delivery service is also available over weekends.

Online shopping

With technology advancing all the time it is important for businesses like Tata to develop and adapt in order to keep up. Hence the introduction of Partskart.co.za, a revolutionary new online store that, from September, will retail new spare truck and bus parts to Tata and Daewoo Trucks customers throughout Southern Africa.

This innovative purchasing system gives Tata and Daewoo truck and bus owners the platform to view and order commercial vehicle parts online and have them delivered to a location of their choice, without having to leave the comfort of their home or office.

Partskart.co.za eliminates geographical limitations, and allows Tata and Daewoo Trucks to gain new customers through search engine visibility. It also assists with creating brand awareness, and affords the two commercial vehicle manufacturers with higher parts delivery capacities.

Sales staff have received training in preparation of the system’s imminent rollout, which was facilitated by e-commerce experts in the field.

The newly-trained team has been entrusted to cover all aspects of sales, ordering, warranties, customer care, returns and finance on Partskart.co.za to maximise customer experiences.

Online shopping has been known to elevate customer satisfaction, by putting customers in control and at the centre of the buying process. And, with a single view of the buyer, Tata and Daewoo Trucks get to better understand the needs and behaviours of their truck and bus parts customers.

The Partskart platform includes high-quality pictures, detailed descriptions and relevant part numbers for each item listed on the digital store. “This is the Takealot of truck and bus parts,” Mr Joseph enthuses.

Package deal

Packaged service, clutch and kingpin kits, which are made for particular models and particular service intervals, have also been introduced, which lowers the price paid by Tata truck customers by at least 10%. Mr Joseph says he has received positive feedback from customers about these packaged kits.

Mr Joseph adds that the journey undertaken by the company is all in the interests of improved customer satisfaction and raising the perception of Tata parts availability in the country.

“Our total parts turnover has increased 50% in two years and we have also corrected our pricing downwards between 10 and 70%,” he concludes.

Mr. Harneet Luther, Managing Director of Tata Truck and Bus South Africa, concluded that the improvements in the aftersales environment is a strategy that was first started in 2017 and is now coming to fruition. This strategy is a complete aftersales revolution and does not only consist of timeous parts supply, but also to ensure complete customer peace of mind through our 91 touch points, breakdown assist program, and fully equipped field service vehicles.