A fitness enthusiast, passionate blogger and the CEO of KIFS Volvo Cars in Mumbai is Ajai Bathija. He’s been part of the Swedish carmaker’s Indian retail network for five years. During his tenure, Mr Bathija has bagged “Overall Best Volvo Dealership of the Year” across India for two years in a row (2018 and 2019). And recently, his dealership rose to be amongst the finalists for a FADA (Federation of Automobile Dealers Association) Award.
The KIFS Volvo Cars dealership, located in the nation’s financial capital, won 1st runner-up position across the country for the following award – Best Premium Car Dealership in the Four-Wheeler Passenger Vehicle segment. CarSaar got the chance to interview Mr Bathija on this achievement.
Q: Where do you think the gap was between your dealership and the one that won the FADA Award for the Best Premium Car Dealership in the Four-Wheeler Passenger Vehicle segment?
It will be difficult to comment on the parameters as none of the participants were privy to the other dealership presentations. According to the feedback from other participants at the awards, the gap could have been the fact that the dealership which won is over 2 decades old, has multiple brands and outlets across several states of India. On the other hand, KIFS Volvo Cars is just 5 years old in the automobile business and has only 2 showrooms dedicated to Volvo Cars in Mumbai.
Q: How do you think your previous experience in other domains and markets has helped in strengthening your ties with Volvo Cars over the years?
My experience in banking, financial services, media, advertising and retail helped me look at things differently, question set trends and ways of doing business in the automobile industry. What we bring to the table is a fresh outlook that makes ‘Customer Experience’ the focal point of operations. Our focus on customer excellence led to growth in sales, service revenue and profitability.
Q: What, as per you, is the main differentiating factor between your Volvo dealership in Mumbai and those associated with other premium carmakers within the same city?
According to me, every automobile dealership tries their best to offer the best product and service to their target audience and we do the same. The differentiators could be the fact that we try and go one step further by focusing on ways to deliver ‘customer excellence’. We focus on their needs, requirements, and convenience, keeping in mind that in a busy city like Mumbai people have limited time.
We also emulate what Volvo stands for internationally. Therefore, focus on environment sustainability and safety takes the centre-stage at our dealership. We have a sophisticated ERP CRM Software which is a mobile-based App available to all our employees. Besides adding a lot of tactical advantages, this app tracks the location of the sales person and test drive cars. There is an automated process to capture customer feedback, know stock details, send quotes to customers with a sophisticated escalation process.
On the environment sustainability front, we do not use plastic at our dealership. We offer healthy options in terms of beverages and snacks, we take special care of kids who visit us with parents. We gift saplings which can be planted, we use bags made of seeds, and we hold seminars for explaining air quality index, women safety and many other things which differentiate us from the competition.
Q: Based on your learnings, what would be your message to other Volvo Cars dealerships in other parts of India?
Most of the Volvo dealerships across India are well known to us and we share a warm and close relationship with our peers. Volvo Car India provides us a forum quite a few times in a year where we share ideas and best practices. Enhancing the ‘customer experience’ and delivering ‘customer delight’ is always a point of discussion among us.
Q: What’s your take on the stressed Indian automobile industry?
The automobile industry is a crucial contributor to India’s GDP. The global economic slowdown has had its impact on the Indian economy and this is reflecting on the automobile sector too. Consumer spending has reduced, credit norms have tightened, private investment has come down and shared mobility is being preferred by the younger generation. All of these factors have led to the slowdown. The transition to BSVI, movement to EVs and increasing competition has impacted the industry further. I believe we could see some improvement and growth in the industry once some of the core sectors start performing.
Q: What drives you to raise the bar in customer experience?
Sustained profitability is the ultimate objective of all businesses. However, what differentiates businesses is how you approach that objective. For us, the route to profitability goes through enhancing the customer experience month-on-month with services that work to customers’ advantage. This approach has resulted in customer loyalty and thus profitability.
Q: What do you currently drive? How do you like it?
Thankfully I have the luxury of experiencing the entire Volvo line-up. For longer drives to meet customers, I prefer the V90 Cross Country. For city driving and the smaller lanes in Mumbai, I prefer the versatile XC40 T4 R-Design. For corporate meetings, it is always the solid S90 Inscription and for special events it is either the XC60 Inscription or the XC90 Inscription 7 Seater Luxury SUV.
Q: If you had to buy one, which Volvo would you choose and why?
That’s a tough one. It’s like asking me to choose which of my parents or kids I love more. All the Volvo cars have their own advantages but 2 of my personal favourites are the XC90 Inscription luxury SUV and the S90 Inscription luxury sedan.
What's your reaction?
