To bolster the introduction of the next-generation Everest and Ranger, Ford South Africa is rolling out “Rapid Hubs” across all nine provinces in an effort to ensure that its new vehicles “come with an ownership experience that understands customers’ unique needs and exceeds their expectations,” said the manufacturer.
“This initiative takes a more proactive approach to the maintenance and repair of customer vehicles, immediately putting the resources and expertise in place should a dealer not be able to resolve a technical issue in the recommended timeframe.”
The details
Instead of isolated individuals working to find solutions to issues by themselves, rapid hubs are trained teams that provide dealerships with extra hands as well as technical expertise.
Each Rapid Hub will have the following “on-the-ground experts” on duty at all times:
- Zone manager
- Hub champion
- Rapid hub lead
- Dealer sales manager
- Field service engineer
- Customer relationship centre
- Rapid hub manufacturing technician
“All Rapid Hubs carry the inherent ability to make prompt decisions by cutting across departments and geographic areas. Resources can also be leveraged and deployed between hubs to optimize service delivery at any given place or time,” said Ford.
In launching these hubs, Ford has implemented a new system that gathers daily reports on all vehicles booked in at accredited dealers for service or maintenance, allowing the teams to quickly identify vehicles that aren’t repaired in the recommended timeframe.
Action is then immediately taken to decrease vehicle downtime and ensure that the dealership has the required support on demand.
“One of the many advantages of Rapid Hubs is that Ford South Africa is notified of any Ranger, Ranger Raptor, or Everest that enters a dealership for a repair within the first four hours,” said the manufacturer.
“They will then work closely with the dealership to resolve the issue and provide a solution that gives the customer added peace of mind.”
The information gathered is also sent back to the applicable assembly plants on a daily basis in order for production processes and quality concerns to be addressed during the manufacturing process.
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