EDARAN Otomobil Nasional Bhd (EON) was once the car sales company you go to if you want to buy a Proton and where you service the vehicle after purchasing one.
Being as old as Proton, it celebrates 40 years in the local automotive industry and is rejuvenating its presence by evolving and expanding services to enrich the customer experience.
For the better customer experience, EON which deals multi-brand vehicle distribution, retail and servicing businesses, has been improving the service level at its branches, and measuring and upscaling customer satisfaction.
EON chief executive officer and head of automotive distribution Akkbar Danial, who took over the helm some two years ago, has set in place a performance chart that is updated regularly and which everyone has access to in keeping track of the improvements made by the respective department.
During a briefing at the EON & Sahabat Media Getaway 2024, he outlined several improvements that were achieved as part of the branch network transformation – 25% improved technician productivity at service workshops, 30% improved technician efficiency and less than 1% complaint in waiting time.
Akkbar making his presentation at the event.
Other areas of improvements were in the 90% net promoter score, 6% revenue growth, more than twice the growth of customer promoters, 6% increased spending and RM2mil revenue from WFM live bookings.
Akkbar said continuous improvements are driven at digital and physical touchpoints to enrich the customer’s experience and efforts are concentrated on improving operational productivity, effectiveness and efficiency to ensure that the customers get the best from EON.
Company-wise, he has set in place staff engagement and empowerment that includes staff benefits improvement, job briefing series and flexible work arrangement.
There is also a digital workplace with a new employee portal, e-On boarding, digital forms/request/claims and video simulation for new staff.
EON has certainly come a long way from being a mere car showroom and service outlet to engage the customer in new ways to improve brand experience and loyalty.
The company has also set up EON Autospa to cater to aftersales needs and EON Capital to offer car loans online.
EON Autospa.
Located at EON’s multi-brand showroom in Glenmarie, Shah Alam, the EON Autospa was established in March as part of the company’s business strategy to add value and enhance customer experience.
This one-stop business entity offers a wide range of comprehensive car care solutions ranging from basic cleaning to advanced detailing and protection.
It enjoys a strategic partnership with Supagard, which manages the operation, to ensure that all services and products meet the same high standard as that in the UK, where Supagard is established.
EON Autospa does not only cater to Proton vehicle owners but also to owners of other brands that Glenmarie showroom offers – Mitsubishi, Audi and smart.
It is said to be positioned at the same level as other established premium operators but offers more affordable prices.
Akkbar handing over the donation to Mohamad Syazwan.
These special prices for products and services are offered exclusively to members through the EON Autospa membership programme.
The EON Capital service, also introduced in March, was set up to address three considerations in vehicle loan applications – value for money offering, ease of application and secure financial information.
The first item refers to competitive interest rates, good margins of financing and access to other exclusive products.
The second is on loan applications that are quick, easy and seamless to process while the third is on protecting the applicant’s sensitive financial information.
Once the customer has booked a car at any of EON’s dealer network, he could apply for a loan via EON Capital’s online platform.
The company aims to give a same-day decision on whether the customer’s loan is pre-approved if all the documents submitted are complete and in order.
Vehicles used for the drive.
To improve the overall customer experience, EON Capital is currently in the midst of rebranding itself with exclusive offerings to customers to be announced in due course.
This is part of EON Bhd’s aim to widen downstream business that also includes trade-in, after-sales and investments in related business.
Its other area of focus is to enhance customer experience, improve brand perception and improve digital experience.
The last item looks into website and digital showroom and digital after-sales, which clearly addresses the younger demographics in its customer profile.
The media getaway also involved a visit to the Kuala Gandah elephant conservatory in Pahang where Akhbar presented a RM5,000 donation to its deputy chief Mohamad Syazwan Fais Mohamad Rozi.
Vehicles provided for the drive were from EON and DRB-Hicom Group's business associates, among them Proton, Honda, smart, Volkswagen and Audi.
