HINO Total Support Contest 2023 - Hino sales and service personnel compete to show their best in Total Support and to be the “Best in Town” among peers

 

Over the weekend, Hino Motors Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (Hino Malaysia), held their 9th annual Hino Total Support (TS) Contest. The competition event took place over at their Petaling Jaya headquarters and had a participation of 95 skilled contestants coming from 15 Hino authorized dealers’ companies throughout Malaysia. As Hino celebrates the contest's robust participation, it highlights their commitment to achieving excellence and the contestant's competitive spirit.

Quite interesting. I have been attending the contest almost every year over the past few years and it is actually nice watching the camaraderie between the Hino teams and those who attended. It is also good that these contests actually help skill building for Hino personnel and it will pass on benefits to Hino customers. 

The theme for this year’s contest is “Best in Town”. The competition represents a series of business activities aimed at being genuine business partners with customers by focusing on two core values, "‘Maximize Vehicle Up-Time’ and ‘Minimize Vehicle Lifetime Cost’”. During the contest, contestants have to show their skills across five contest categories which are Sales, Services, Spare Parts, Customer Success Operation (CSO), and the “Best in Town” contest, which is a a new category this year. Each category serves as a platform to exemplify Hino's mission, “To be Malaysia’s most Customer-Centric and reliable Commercial Vehicle Company, and make our country a better place to live by providing 'Best-fit Products' and 'Total Support.'"

 

The grand prize for this year's contest, the overall 3S Champion, wins the prestigious Challenge Trophy, RM3,000 cash prize as well as a trip to Thailand for the 6 participating members. The 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up receives RM2,000 and RM1,000 cash prize respectively. The champion of each of the four categories (Sales, Service, spare parts, and CSO) receives a RM1,000 cash prize and a reward trip to Thailand in 2024. Each category's 1st and 2nd runners-up win RM500 and RM200 cash prizes each.  Together with the “Best in Town” prizes, the total winning for the participants in this contest is worth up to nearly RM100,000.

The Hino TS Contest adds towards industry excellence but also serves as a platform to recognize and appreciate dealers and their staff. These dealers contribute consistent support and excel in customer-related programs, extending beyond vehicle sales to include all products, parts, and after-sales activities. This contest emphasizes the holistic commitment to Total Support within the Hino community. Having rewards for their personnel in ways other than just monetary means actually helps in many other ways - appreciation among peers is one of them is quite important too.

Sales

In alignment with its Product Sales philosophy, centered on providing the Best-fit Product to customers, contestants in the Sales Category will undergo evaluation through theory and practical based on their comprehension of Hino products and familiarity with the TS program.

As an embodiment of Hino's fundamental commitment to Total Support, contestants in the Sales Category were tasked with explaining the Hino Total Support concept to customers. This includes explaining components such as maintenance contracts, the Free Service Programme (FSP), Hino Connect, Hino Membership Program, and Selling and Closing skills for New Hino Vehicles.

This year will have a different simulation than last year where contestants engaged in a new role play on the New Vehicle Handover Process. This required providing the customers who recently purchased new vehicles with a seamless handover experience, ensuring they fully comprehend Hino products and the TS program, going beyond customer expectations. 

 

Service

Hino's reputation relies heavily on its service quality, directly impacting its after-sales standing. Customer satisfaction plays a crucial role in shaping a positive image for Hino. The goal is to cultivate top-notch technicians under the Service Category, which is divided into Service Technician and Service Advisor, aiming for the title of "Best in Town."

This year, contestants in the Service Technician category will work on a medium commercial vehicle (MCV) size lorry, different from the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) used last year. This provides its own sets of challenges and tests our technicians on a different level. The interesting part is on rectification of simulated issues. This showcases their repair and diagnostic abilities and also the ability to troubleshoot.

For the Service Advisors category, there will be a role play where customers will question the technical issues of their trucks, and Service Advisors will demonstrate their ability to clearly explain to the customers. The evaluation will be based on the fluency of Service Advisors’ interactions with customers.

 

Parts

In the commercial vehicle industry, Parts Advisors play an important role in customer’s trust and confidence. The parts category will include a theory test covering HINO Product Knowledge, 5S & 7 Storage techniques, and Hino Basic Parts Identification. This test employs both objective and subjective methods to assess contestants.

The practical test for the parts advisor category involves a role play of warehouse activities like Selection, Binning, Packing, and Receiving Shipment. Contestants will be put to the challenge and will be evaluated on their proficiency in using the HIECHO-X, a system used to find HINO parts numbers.

Customer Success Operation (CSO)

Customer Success Operation (CSO) at Hino is a pivotal role dedicated to establishing a deep connection with both Hino and its customers. A successful CSO team member possesses crucial soft skills like effective communication and empathy. The primary objective of the CSO team is to furnish information about products, services, and the company. In addition to providing information, they actively listen to customers, gathering their insights to understand our product strengths and identify areas of improvement.

In the contest's CSO category, contestants will engage in a theory test and a role play where they handle customer inquiries about Hino products. In essence, their role simplifies in ensuring customer satisfaction, creating a sense of security and comfort with purchased products. This approach aims to encourage ongoing purchases and future servicing from satisfied customers.

 

“Best in Town”

This year, Hino introduces an addition to the contest lineup which is the "Best in Town" contest. This contest is specifically crafted for second-generation Hino dealership owners. This prestigious competition centers around recognizing and celebrating the most exceptional "Best in Town" activities undertaken by 3S Dealerships.

Contestants in this exclusive contest will have the opportunity to deliver compelling presentations before all Dealer Owners, sharing their dealership's standout activities and success stories throughout the year and how they ‘think out of the box’ to keep attracting and maintaining their customers. This contest serves as a grand platform to showcase their unwavering dedication and relentless efforts in their pursuit of being recognized as the indisputable "Best in Town."

The new "Best in Town" contest offers unique prizes: the Champion gets the champion trophy and a RM 5,000.00 cash incentive; the 1st runner-up receives an exclusive trophy and a RM 3,000.00 cash incentive; and the 2nd runner-up gets an exclusive trophy and a RM 2,000.00 cash incentive.