In a New Year's call to its customers nationwide, FAW Jiefang Co Ltd and its more than 700 dealerships and after-sales service providers will present customers with red lanterns from January 18 to February 18.

The lanterns, signalling prosperous career and business in the Chinese tradition, reflect the development of FAW Jiefang's marketing concepts from an exclusive emphasis on the functions and advantages of products to a focus on the user's cognitive and emotional experience.

The customer relationship created by the so-called experience marketing will increase consumer satisfaction and loyalty all around.

The stress on the user's experience stems from FAW Jiefang's core management philosophy - customer first. Experience marketing is omnipresent in the company's management, ranging from product research and development (R&D) to manufacture to sales service.

The message "Jiefang Trucks, Money-Making Machine" has become a promise to consumers who can personally experience the reliable quality and satisfactory after-sales service of Jiefang products.

Experience marketing, by establishing a platform for communication between the automaker and users, makes it possible for Jiefang to closely follow market trends and satisfy consumers' needs with differentiated products.

Service promises

In the after-sales service field, the company has made six new service promises with an emphasis on fast response to consumers' requirements.

First, the engines of middle and heavy-duty diesel trucks come with a 150,000-kilometer quality guarantee for one and a half years.

Second, emergency service will be available within 3-6 hours after the consumer makes a call for it, depending on the distance.

Third, a round-the-clock spare parts supply green corridor will be set up to guarantee that regular parts are available in 24 hours within the regional market, and 48 hours across the country.

Fourth, all vehicles receiving maintenance at its service stations can enjoy a free safety examination.

Fifth, the service station will call back all consumers who have their vehicles repaired and maintained there to track their opinions on the service.

Last, the customer service hotline and the service station staff's cell phones are available 24 hours a day.

As to the management and maintenance of customer relationships, FAW Jiefang will launch new measures to further enrich its connotation, deliver the product message in a timely fashion, accurately learn the users' needs and effectively solve their problems.

(China Daily 02/01/2007 page13)