Mitsubishi Motors’ Customer Care Centre (CCC) has been named the best in New Zealand – both within its industry sector, and of any call centre with less than 50 staff.
Mitsubishi’s exceptional team of 11, led by manager Haig Davidson, won its fifth consecutive Supreme Award to come out on top, in what head of sales and marketing strategy Daniel Cook described as: “a demonstration of unerring consistency and dedication”.
“It’s no coincidence that we recently celebrated six consecutive years of growth and are on track to record our seventh,” said Daniel. “The continued high standard maintained by our customer service representatives is one of the pillars supporting our overall performance.”
Haig said he was extremely proud of his team and especially pleased to have taken first place this year.
“When you look at the recognition we’ve received across the categories, against competition that is tougher than it’s ever been, I’d rate this as our best-ever result,” he said.
As well as the Supreme Award, Mitsubishi won the Industry Sector Award for Transport & Travel and took second place for Online Web/Email Customer Service.
CRM judges also singled out CCC team member Tafaoga Kamoto as one of their favourite customer services representatives. It is the second time in her three years with Mitsubishi that Ms Kamoto has won the award; she made the shortlist on the one year she didn’t walk away with a trophy.
“We have a strong team culture, but it’s fantastic to see outstanding individuals get recognition,” said Haig. “Tafaoga is very good at quickly picking up on what customers need and helping them through any issues they might have. Her success feeds into our culture of taking pride in what we do, and never losing focus on the individual at the other end of the line. On top of that, Tafaoga sets a shining example to the rest of the team – especially new recruits.”
Haig said that developing processes around recruitment and training is key to maintaining the CCC’s high standards.
“We don’t work from a script; we want to add value to the conversation and ensure that each person who contacts us receives a response tailored to their needs,” said Haig. “Customers want to be listened to and spoken to in a way they can relate to. They also want to have their problem addressed and solved the first time they call.”
The team undergoes regular in-house and online training, plus external courses at least once a year to remain in line with best practice. Haig also travels around the country to train sales and service representatives within the Mitsubishi network.
“As the first point of contact for most customers, it’s important that our culture of pride and respect is upheld at every stage of the relationship. ‘Every day uncompromising in the pursuit of customer pride’ is our company-wide motto, and it’s something that we want every employee to buy into.”
“We strongly believe we have a range of vehicles that customers can feel proud to drive, and the continued success of our CCC team confirms that we are providing the best aftersales support to back that up,” said Daniel Cook. “While it’s great to know we’re ahead of our competition, we hope this result gives our customers a sense of pride and the peace of mind that they have made the right decision in choosing Mitsubishi.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Haig and his team. Their recognition is fully deserved. Alongside the exemplary leadership Haig has demonstrated, he has developed an environment where staff love coming to work every day. Through a clear incentivisation and training programme, he has built a positive and rewarding culture and a team that continues to deliver outstanding service for our customers.”
