Sustaining business excellence for more than 100 years is a daunting challenge for any company, and one that very few ever attain. For the ones that do achieve this, it speaks volumes to what they do for customers, instilling a trusted customer experience that most often leads to brand loyalty.
At General Motors, this has been the case since 1908. Remaining on an innovative edge when it comes to technology, General Motors has truly sustained business excellence.
Recently, GM was honored at the 21st annual Automotive Loyalty Awards where it snared the evening’s top honor: Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer.
The 21st annual Automotive Loyalty Awards from IHS Markit recognized automotive manufacturers and brands for superior customer retention and conquest efforts during the 2016 model year (October 2015 through September 2016).
James Cain, senior manager, sales and executive communications at General Motors, talked to Loyalty360 about GM’s sustained excellence, highlighting its efforts in 2016.
“GM grew retail sales more than any other full-line automaker in 2016, and Chevrolet was the fastest-growing brand,” Cain explained. “This doesn’t happen without loyal customers staying in the GM family of brands. Our customer focus is the driving force behind our strong showing in customer loyalty. It’s a combination of products and people. On the vehicle side, we are very much in tune with changing customer tastes.”
Cain cited some of GM’s specific achievements:
We have helped pioneer new segments, like small crossovers, with vehicles like the Chevrolet Trax.
We have revitalized segments like mid-size pickups, with designs like the all-new Colorado.
We completely redesigned the Chevrolet Cruze and Malibu last year. And this year will field the broadest and freshest lineup of crossovers.
We have also helped popularize new technologies like in-vehicle 4GLTE Wi-Fi, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto at a much faster pace than our competitors.
What’s more, GM has invested heavily alongside its dealers to redesign sales and service facilities and improve training.
“This has resulted in some of the highest J.D. Power scores for customer satisfaction,” Cain said. “If you look at our marketing, we have messages that are designed to conquest new customers and validate the purchase decision of our most loyal customers. For example, Chevrolet is very proud that it is the most awarded car company for the second year in a row and it is our most successful message in the marketplace. The story is based awards for safety performance, technological innovation, quality, and design excellence.”