Toyota Kirloskar Motor introduces Dealer Operations Restart Guideline

Soon after introducing a comprehensive Restart Manual, an all-inclusive guide for reorganising and safely resuming business operations to near normalcy after the lockdown is lifted, Toyota Kirloskar Motors has now shared a Dealer Operations Restart Guideline to spread awareness to existing and prospective customers about the safety and hygiene initiatives introduced at Toyota dealer outlets across India.

About the Dealer Operations Restart Guidance

Considering the withdrawal of the lockdown does not mean the pandemic is over, TKM has positioned the Guideline as an all-inclusive reference document highlighting effective measures to help set the foundation for sustainable growth as business operations resumes to near normalcy after the lockdown is over.

The Dealer Operations Restart Guideline focuses on three key areas, which include:

Facility and Staff: Maintaining hygiene at customer touchpoints and sanitization of the inside and outside of the dealership premises with minimized usage of air conditioners. Additionally, TKM has also taken steps to maintain social distancing at workplace, recommended usage of face masks and sanitizers, regular thermal checking and formation of a COVID Task Force to address safety concerns and boost morale of the staff. It further educates the dealer staff to address customer queries following the new norms.

Sales: The company’s sales services will also witness a change. Employees are being directed to maintain transparency while communicating with customers and provide video or photo evidence of safety measures followed at the dealership, wherever required. There will be thermal checking and sanitization points set-up at all the entry and exit points, workstations and the premises of the dealerships. Face masks will be made available with all staff, and avoiding exchange of physical documents will be practiced as much as possible. Product demonstration will also see a change as a whole new disinfection process will be implemented before every demo, to assure customer safety. Masks and gloves will be provided during test drives and the company representative will be directed to sit in the rear seat while the customer drives, adhering to the rule of social distancing.

After sales: Certain measures have also been introduced with regard to the pick-up and delivery of vehicles, these include showcasing temperature certificate to customer during pick-up, disinfecting hands before receiving the vehicle keys. The drop-off of the vehicle will only be allowed once the seats and steering is disinfected while invoices will be shared through emails and Toyota Connect app with digital money transactions. As far the production and washing area is concerned, all staff will wear face masks and gloves during their work hours with all commonly used tool kits being disinfected frequently.

Additional measures

Going forward, the guideline will also suggest Toyota dealerships on ways to deal with the current situation, in accordance with the norms of the local administration in their respective region. Hence the introduction of SOPs encouraging employees to address customer needs effectively post COVID-19.

Talking about this unique initiative, Naveen Soni, Senior VP, sales and service, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “There is no doubt that besides affecting the health and safety of people across the globe, the COVID-19 outbreak has brought the world economy to a standstill. In uncertain times like these, it is paramount to lead the change and strive to thrive during this period of transformation, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our stakeholders and simultaneously safeguarding business continuity. In this backdrop, we have come up with this unique Dealer Operations Restart Guideline benefitting not just our dealer partners and their staff but also our loyal customers.