K. A. Ananthram and Mohini Bhatnagar

The large network of dealers and service outlets has gone a long way in ensuring customer loyalty to the product. So has the continuous endeavour to improve the Indica. The company’s engineering research centre has, through constant interaction with customers, added several new features to the car.

For instance, the vehicle’s suspension was found to be stiff by early users and their feedback helped the company develop a softer suspension. Mr Dube, who has been closely involved with the Indica project since it started, is quite pleased with the way the car has been received. And the figures back him up.

The Indica reached the coveted 100,000 mark much faster than the Maruti 800 or the Maruti Zen. Newer entrants like the Daewoo Matiz and the Fiat Uno are well off the pace set by the Indica. As Mr Dube says, "We have done quite well [for a company without a tradition of making passenger cars], and against competition that, in some cases, has 50 to 75 years of history in this business."

The company took its average faring in the JD Power survey in its stride and has overcome its shortcomings in double-quick time. The report was rightly regarded as representing legitimate customer complaints. Refinements were carried out on the Indica based on the findings of the report as well as constant contact programmes with customers.

The re-jigging of the Indica has been done without diluting the product’s value. "It is important to exercise your judgement as to which product improvement is introduced and when, since every product is positioned at a particular price-value point," says Mr Dube.

Tata Engineering has been in the forefront of using technology that ensures customers get the best value for their money. The Euro II diesel engine was put into the Indica in January 1999 (much before it became the norm for Indian cars) and the multi-point fuel injection petrol engine was introduced in May 2000.

The focus may have been on the Indica, but the passenger car business unit’s marketing initiatives aimed at guaranteeing customer satisfaction have been spread across the company’s entire product range, which includes the Sierra, the Estate, the Sumo and the Safari.

To make sure that genuine spare parts are easily available across the country at economical prices, Tata Engineering has set up four parts warehouses at convenient locations. There is a robust training program in Pune for all service executives of dealer and service outlets. Additionally, the company has four regional training centres which tutor executives onsite at dealer and service outlets.

The company has set up a toll free number which can be accessed in 51 Indian cities. Also, there are customer helplines in the 10 largest cities, dealer helplines and mobile service vans in more than 50 per cent of dealerships. These initiatives have gone a long way in providing customers service in the shortest possible time.

That isn’t all. There’s a loyalty programme for customers (with benefits like discounts) at select outlets, the first time this has been done by a large-volume automobile company in India. Christened ‘The Indica Club’, the programme is growing by the day and provides Tata Engineering with a solid source of customer feedback.

There are year-round service programmes in various parts of the country and an extended warranty scheme has been recently introduced where, at nominal cost to the customer, the warranty period is increased by 18 months. The company has also used ‘co-branding’ with consumer-goods manufacturers and finance companies to boost customer loyalty.

Fleet companies and corporate houses are specially tracked and a dedicated relationship team at the regional and product level services these big clients. Special service packages are tailored to suit the needs of such customers.

Tata Engineering is using infotech and the Internet to manage customers and further build its brand image. It has special websites for the Indica and the Safari with active customer interaction facilities. (There’s an independently promoted Indica users club on the Net, of which the company is a member.)

The process of linking the entire Indica dealer and service network is on and this will improve the level of service to customers. This network will track orders right to the shop floor and help immensely in parts management and delivery. On the anvil is a ‘knowledge management system’ where product complaints will be stored for the future benefit of the service network.

After all this, what next? "Customer satisfaction lies at the core of the company’s plans. We will continuously improve and improvise to ensure that the customer benefits," says Mr Dube. Coming soon are newer versions in the hatchback range and, in the near future, two new offerings on the Indica platform.

The Tata Indica in its current avatar and all its new offerings are ultimately geared towards making certain the customer is always in the driver’s seat. A satisfied customer is the best advertisement for any product. Anticipating and exceeding customer needs will remain Tata Engineering’s principal priority.

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