Tuesday, December 01, 2020

Volkswagen Cares Mobile App Has 30,000 Subscribers - It Goes to Show That With the Proper Distributors, Things Do Get Better

Volkswagen Cares, the mobile application for Volkswagen owners here in Malaysia has reached 30,000 subscribers. This has happened two years after its launch, and the app, launched by Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia (VPCM), who are the authorised distributors of the brand here, is part of the Volkswagen Cares aftersales initiative committed to providing the best for owners in the country. This is definitely an ongoing push by them to improve customer and ultimately brand image in the country.

This seems to be working though, as in simpler terms, there are about 30,000 Volkswagen owners who want to get the best aftersales (services or even news) out of their Volkswagen cars, direct from the authorised distributors and not through a third party specialist. Volkswagen Cares is a fully localised initiative by VPCM and was developed by them especially for the Malaysian market. 

According to VPCM, Volkswagen Cares saw growth in 2019 with a total download of 16,498 members. In 2020, it achieved 46% growth  with 9,483 new members and it achieved the 30,000th sub as of 30th November 2020. With the current pandemic where most things are firstly done via the internet, the app has actually become even more useful in getting the latest news and getting a place booked for car servicing among others.

Appreciative of the response towards the app, Erik Winter, Managing Director of VPCM said, “The app was created to make our services more accessible to our customers, and further improve their overall ownership experience. The convenience ofaccessing the Volkswagen world via mobile app is offered in different Volkswagen markets around the world, and what we are also delighted to note is that our app has seen an unparalleled take-up rate compared to other markets managed by the Porsche Holdings Group.”

“This success will only spur us to continue improving to engage and serve our customers better, and in fact, we are already looking into revamping and further enhancing the app’s features and offerings bynext year,” he added.

It does seem that the Porsche Holdings Group have done way better compared to when Volkswagen Group Malaysia (VGM) themselves in handling the brand. The thing was in the years of Your Truly following the Volkswagen brand here, VPCM have done many things which seems to be actually logical business steps that needed to be made in terms of re-building the brand after the trashing it got in the hands of VGM. They kept changing managing directors but still kept to the same business model which was actually a bad one at that. 

If I recall correctly, this was around the early 2010s and those of you who have been following this blog would know that Volkswagen was a brand that made really good driver's cars, with bad maintenance issues from warranty claims to faulty bits. The brand has come a long way in recifying the technical faults and in terms of customer care, this new Volkswagen Passenger Cars Malaysia has improved the brand image at least a thousandfold in my eyes. If  you are too fussy, for a brand which is actually named the ' People's Car', you should only buy a premium brand like Audi. Remember this is the people's car and not something super luxurious like a Bentley. Or an Audi at that. 

And I have to say that after years of improvement, with apps like Volkswagen Cares, they have done the Volkswagen name good.

The Volkswagen Cares app is an essential tool for owners as aftersales offers such as the free 3-year service vouchers and service package vouchers are linked and accessible exclusively via the app. Those with vehicles five years and older under the Volkswagen Care Plus (VCP) programme may also view and access their benefits through the app.

Other features available on the app include the latest sales and aftersales offerings, rewards, educational videos, event updates, and 24-hour roadside assistance - all at the touch of a button.

The app isn't only limited to those that do not own a Volkswagen. It is for everyone interested in the brand whether you like going to Volkswagen organised events, sales and promotions and other content. You can download the mobile app to access sales offers, video content, and receive sales and event updates via push notifications.

The Volkswagen Cares mobile app is available on both IOS and Android and can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store.

For more information, head over to www.volkswagen.com.my

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