<div>Next time your car breaks down or you want a quick service then just use your smartphone app to do the work for you. Tata Motors is changing the way its consumers service their cars. Its senior management is in advanced talks with Tata Group company, TCS - the IT Services giant, to design an app or several apps to let consumers connect with their dealerships for service centres. If this app comes through then 500 dealerships and 1,000 odd service points will be connected on the app. The data generated will be used to improve the perception of the brand, change customer service in dealerships and finally to increase stickiness of consumers when they replace their vehicles. This is completely possible as Tata Motors is armed with a $3 billion war chest that will launch at least 8 cars by 2020.<br /><br />"While we are looking at different ways of engagement, it is important that we deliver impeccable if the app gets launched," says Mayank Pareek, President of Passenger Cars at Tata Motors. "We cannot falter because using mobile technology allows consumers to demand quick service," says Pareek.<br /><br />Recently Tata Motors launched the sedan Zest and unveiled the product as part of its HorizonNext strategy, which aims to rejig brand Tata Motors. As part of this strategy, it has already revamped 150 odd dealerships where dealer associates use tablets and kiosks to connect customers with the brand. <br /><br />Is the competition doing something similar? Not yet. Indian OEMs have not been able to control their brands at the dealership end and have left it to the dealerships to maintain the service element of the brand. This is where it has hurt most OEMs other than Toyota, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. <br /><br />Strangely enough some dealers have launched their own apps to be ahead of the game. Pratham Motors in Bangalore, Renault Karnavatti and Kataria Automobile in Gujarat have launched apps for their dealerships. However, the complexity arises in connecting the dots of all the dealerships, across the country, and using this data intelligently to connect with customers. Some call this big data, in simple sense it is only analytics. The complexity arises when you begin using data from the app to target customers uniquely. There are close to 3,200 passenger car dealerships in India with close to 5,000 service touch points. It can benefit even manufacturing facilities when data is used effectively from the consumer end.<br /><br />"This data can allow engineering teams to understand next product iterations on a real time basis," says Timothy Leverton, President and Head advanced and product engineering at Tata Motors. "We need to go execute these mega trends arising because of smart phones."<br /><br />While Tata Motors is making all the fast moves; hopefully it sets a precedent for other auto companies to follow suit.<br /><br />vishal@businessworld.in<br />vishalskrishna@gmail.com<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div>
