Volvo Honours 2010 VISTA Winners
Official Press Release from Volvo Car Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, June 18: Volvo Car Malaysia has honoured the four Malaysians who emerged tops in the local chapter of the 2010 VISTA (Volvo International Service Training Award), a worldwide competition organised by Volvo Car Corporation to increase dealer competency and maintain customer satisfaction.
The four winners – Faeroz Khan Makbul Hussain, Hishamuddin Muhammad, K.S. Mathavi a/p M. K. Samy and Ganesh Harikrishan shut out 112 other contestants from local Volvo Car Malaysia dealers Federal Auto Cars and Swedish Marque to take their place alongside 200 other VISTA winners from around the world. Contestants competed in four categories, with Faeroz Khan Makbul Hussain finishing first in the Class A (Technician) category, Hishamuddin Muhammad in Class B (Parts Personnel), K.S. Mathavi Samy in Class C (Service Advisor) and Ganesh Harikrishan in Class D (Manager).
VISTA is a biennial international Customer Service training competition, all about learning, development and professional skills training, with a focus on Customer Satisfaction. It aims to increase the competence of Volvo Car Corporation’s dealer employees to ensure customers meet the same proficient and service-minded personnel everywhere in the world.
VISTA attracts approximately 16,000 Volvo Car Corporation employees worldwide and is open to all authorised Volvo dealers worldwide who have met certain criteria. The Malaysian final was held on June 16-17 at the Volvo Car Asia regional training centre in Shah Alam. The worldwide 2010 edition kicked off in 2009 with its National Qualifying Rounds and Testing Stages before entering this year’s Final stage.
On top of earning the title and honour that go with it, the Malaysian winners will fly to the VISTA Winners’ Conference in Sweden, scheduled for August 22-28, 2010. There they’ll get to celebrate their achievement and exchange know-how with fellow winners from Volvo Car Corporation dealerships from all over the world.
“For over 30 years, VISTA has motivated global Volvo Car Corporation employees to excel at their profession,“ said Mr. Chandra Rajan A., Customer Service Director, Volvo Car Malaysia at the 2010 VISTA Market Final and Award Ceremony here today. “The competition allows dealerships to enhance their competence and skills, and we are proud that our four winners have distinguished themselves by being at the top of their profession.”
Chandra said Volvo Car Corporation has a universal reputation for quality, encompassing everything from cars and spare parts to service and customer care. “One of our major priorities in maintaining our worldwide image is to train and develop our Customer Service personnel, which in turn leads to higher customer satisfaction.”
What is VISTA?
The very first VISTA competition took place in 1975 and welcomed Volvo Car Corporation Technicians. In 1987, Parts Personnel joined in too and by the year 2000, Service Advisors, Managers, Body Repair and Warranty personnel were also taking part.
VISTA 2010, as in previous rounds, focuses on Customer Satisfaction in order to motivate and stimulate Volvo Car Corporation employees and to enhance teamwork and team spirit. This encourages employees to FRFT (Fix it Right the First Time), which in turn gives customers a superior service experience.
VISTA Objectives
VISTA has three main objectives:
• Develop and maintain a high level of competency among Volvo dealer Customer service personnel
• Reinforce awareness of the significance of Customer Satisfaction in all departments
• Increase competency in Volvo Car Corporation information technology and methods within other departments, from concept to sales.
The Test
Only the very best Volvo Car Corporation employees make it through to the VISTA finals in their respective countries. All finalists sit for theoretical and practical tests. Test results, however, are only part of what determines who wins. Method and time taken to complete the tasks also affect the outcome.
VISTA is conducted in two stages of five to ten mandatory questions in each discipline. On completion of the first stage, the judging panel evaluates answers and announces the participants that qualify for the next step. After the second stage, participants’ points are accumulated and the judges proclaim the winners.
Also present at the award ceremony were Ms. Fairy Chen, Vice President of Customer Service, Volvo Car Corporation Asia, and Mr. Eugene Tay, Sales & Marketing Director of Volvo Car Malaysia.
