Hyundai service advisors hit the world stage

HYUNDAI service advisors Nitin Khadalia and Josephine Holledge performed with distinction at the South Korean car-maker’s global service advisor championship in Seoul recently, with Mr Khadalia taking second place in the ‘role play’ category and Ms Holledge finishing in the top 20 in the ‘outstanding skills’ division.

Mr Khadalia, who works for Jefferson Hyundai in Mentone, Victoria, and Ms Holledge, from Keema Hyundai in Springwood, Queensland, were among 64 competitors representing 43 countries in the championship, having been selected from 10 national finalists in Hyundai Motor Co Australia’s Australian-based competition.

In the second running of the biennial global championships, participants were assessed over two days on their knowledge of Hyundai’s service procedures with a written exam and two practical tests, the latter comprising role play and one-on-one interviews.

According to the company, the program is designed to “augment the overall ability of its global service advisors, offer technology and knowledge exchange and further motivate and engage the operators in global competitiveness in the field of automotive service advice”.

“With the automotive industry experiencing tremendous growth as a career choice for young Australians, Hyundai Motor Company offers a range of aftersales and technical training programs to engage and develop talent within the group,” said HMCA national training manager Peter Quinn, who provided coaching and training for the Australian representatives.

“Programs such as this are industry-leading and further demonstrate Hyundai’s reputation for excellence in the field of vehicle maintenance and customer service.”

Hyundai’s increasingly strong presence in the Australian marketplace requires its dealer network to be on top of its game in areas such as customer service and aftersales, hence the high priority placed by the company on the local and international service championships.

The latest VFACTS figures show Hyundai was the clear second-biggest selling brand last month with 8401 new vehicle registrations and a 9.2 per cent share of the market.

Second only to the dominant Toyota (17,302), Hyundai was ahead of Holden (7542) and Mazda (6880) in October, and with two months of trading to go the Korean brand is now locked in battle for outright third position with Mazda – only 113 units separate the two brands, which both look set to pass the 100,000 mark come December 31.

Earlier this year, HMCA named Jefferson Hyundai its ‘Platinum Dealer of the Year’ as part of the company’s inaugural retail awards program.