Quality services at the core of BMW brand loyalty

BMW held its national competition for excellence in Beijing on Sept 24. CHINA DAILY

As BMW's sales surge, it is rapidly expanding its network of dealerships to better serve car owners in China.

By August, it has more than 430 service outlets in 202 cities across the country and it is planning to open more in smaller cities this year.

The company is putting a greater emphasis on training to ensure the dealer staff in different cities offers equally good services.

"Our colleagues here at the training academy are doing a great job with 250,000 man-days of training provided this year," said Eberhart.

BMW is one of the first automakers to establish a training academy in China.

It also has three training centers and many training bases in the country.

Eberhart said the company is also joining with 15 schools to provide a stable supply of high-caliber young people to staff the dealerships.

"At the end of the day, it is the people who make the difference. The technicians, service advisors and parts advisors work very hard every day at the dealerships. They are the backbone of the good service we provide to our customers," he said.

Looking forward, Eberhart said there will be more competition in the after-sales market as Chinese customers mature.

But he believes competition will motivate BMW to offer better services and win customers as many in China are considering buying their second or even third cars.

"We have a very strong brand, and definitely we want to strengthen our brand perception, so our customers don't change brands.

"So it is on us to meet at least the requirements of our customers and our target is to exceed their expectations, so we will create high brand loyalty. This is something we are working on."