Subaru steps up customer service

SUBARU Australia has introduced a new marketing program under the banner All 4 The Driver to improve the Subaru buying and ownership experience.

The campaign includes measures such as supplying sales staff with iPhones loaded with product information, more flexible test-drive arrangements and ‘plain English’ service invoicing.

Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior said improved customer experience was the fundamental role of the changes.

“We aim to improve our customers’ experiences during all interactions with the network and Subaru Australia."The All 4 the Driver campaign was “best described as a cultural and brand change program,” said Mr Senior, who added that the program was intended to “move the brand towards a more coveted status”.

Sales staff will receive an iPhone equipped with 28 Subaru applications on selling points, features and benefits. Forty more applications will be rolled out in coming years.

The program also includes Subaru TV, a dedicated information channel shown in all Subaru showrooms.

‘Drive It Your Way’ will provide customers more test drive options, including a selection of pre-planned test route and keeping a car overnight.

“Our retailers will be offering specific, mapped drive programs, which allow customers to get a much better idea of what makes our cars different – the confidence of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive – in a variety of road conditions,” he said.

“In some cases, for added convenience, some retailers will also be offering overnight drives or the opportunity to have a car delivered to a customer’s preferred address.”

From top: Subaru Impreza XV, Subaru Impreza WRX Club Spec 10.

The overhaul of Subaru branding is the first since 1996 when Subaru decided to import only all-wheel-drive models, and will run for four to five years.

“All 4 The Driver is aimed at taking customer experiences to even higher levels at all customer touchpoints, such as showrooms and service centres,” Mr Senior said.

Mr Senior said that servicing would have ‘plain English’ billing with a schematic breakdown of parts replaced.

“We won’t confuse with technical terms, code numbers and jargon. The idea is to be as transparent as possible in all our communications, both written and verbal.”

Mr Senior said the new program was emphasised in a recent nationally televised advertisement, which “has drawn the strongest response we have ever had.”

Subaru Australia is giving cash incentives to dealers to improve their dealings with customers, according to Mr Senior.

“Basically every retail outlet will be measured on its Net Promoter Score or NPS – an extremely sophisticated form of customer feedback,” he said.

Subaru customers have been asked to fill out a questionnaire on their dealer experience since 2007, and which Subaru Australia crunches into a monthly NPS. Top dealers are given a cash bonus.

The All 4 The Driver slogan will now appear on Subaru literature and signage as a key part of the marque’s branding “It will increasingly be referenced in materials displayed around Subaru’s retail network, including showrooms, on brochures and also in print and electronic advertising, and in the customer magazine, Symmetry.”

Subaru’s website has also been updated to be easier to navigate.

The brand renewal formally announced last week was launched nationally in February after trials in Victoria and Tasmania late last year.