Service promise ensures Mercedes-Benz remains the leading brand

Zung Fu’s dedication to making customers happy is being rewarded by satisfied patrons buying more Mercedes Benz.

For 60 years, Zung Fu Company Limited has been selling an undiluted promise to Mercedes- Benz drivers in Hong Kong, not just the pleasure of German engineering. 

Over these six decades, owners of all manner of Mercedes-Benz saloons regardless of whether they own an A- lass, B-Class, C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, R-Class, or SLS-AMG, have experienced the consistent, quality service that glues their loyalty to the brand. This faith in Mercedes-Benz combined with the solid reputation of the luxury cars, have helped Hong Kong to emerge as the German luxury carmaker’s largest market in the world in terms of market share. 

“Mercedes Benz has 14 per cent of the total market share,’’ says Michael Lee, Chief Executive of Zung Fu Company Limited, a subsidiary of Jardine Motors Group, which is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group. “Of every 100 cars sold in Hong Kong, 14 are Mercedes-Benz sold by Zung Fu.’’  

Comparatively, Mercedes-Benz accounts for 8 per cent market share in Germany and about 1 per cent in mainland China, Mr Lee points out. Zung Fu is the exclusive retailer of Mercedes-Benz in Hong Kong and Macau. Long before it became a part of Jardine Matheson, Zung Fu had sold 1,000 Mercedes-Benz cars in the first year after it began importing the vehicles.

The Mercedes-Benz showroom that opened in 1955, a year after the formal signing of an agreement between Zung Fu and Mercedes-Benz, was actually in a similar location to today’s main Causeway Bay showroom. Within three years after the first Mercedes- Benz arrived in Hong Kong, Zung Fu welcomed 1,000 new owners to the growing Mercedes-Benz family. 

In a market where image takes precedence over the convenience of a luxurious conveyance, Mercedes- Benz has come up trumps in earning the trust and maintaining the loyalty of customers, be they entrepreneurs or professional achievers, men or women, expatriates or locals.

“Our customers seldom drop out; customer retention is high because of the product quality and customer care,’’ Mr Lee says with pride. 

Mr Lee, a veteran in the motor vehicle trade and who is also Chairman of the Hong Kong Motor Traders Association of Hong Kong, explains that the focus on customer care has translated into a distinct advantage. He points out that Mercedes- Benz market share in Hong Kong has edged up from 10 per cent to 14 per cent in the past few years.

Mr Lee attributes this achievement to how welltrained mechanics in the Mercedes-Benz service centres make the customers feel. It is a feeling of importance that owners of Mercedes Benz – one of the finest motor vehicles in the world – experience when they deal with the well-equipped workshops spread out across the city. There are five service centres in Hong Kong, including whole buildings in Aberdeen and Hung Hom. The locations are within easy reach.

“We focus a lot on the success rate of the first fix … a 98 per cent rate of success in the first fix, including parts,’’ Mr Lee assures, adding that the experience that a driver has, is also an important element in the service proposition. This involves keeping the owner informed of the progress of maintenance work or repairs being undertaken as well as delivery and collection.

Those who take care of maintenance and repairs of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Mr Lee says, have to have to understand and embrace the Zung Fu philosophy – PHD. They must have a Passion for cars, they must show they have the Heart for the job, and demonstrate the Determination to keep trying until they success in a repair job, or maintenance work.

“PHD is a part of our culture. We keep our people motivated,’’ Mr Lee says. 

To maintain their vehicles in prime performance mode, Mercedes-Benz owners have the option of selecting from various service plans, in addition to emergency assistance. 

Various maintenance and repair plans have been drawn up for all models and budgets to instill confidence among owners of Mercedes-Benz and make them experience a reliable, convenient service. 

Zung Fu’s service proposition includes, quality parts, technical parts, repair procedures and expertise training that ensure a professional job is done. In 2011, in keeping with the times, Zung Fu is preparing to offer more environmentally-friendly cars. Mr Lee points out that every model that Mercedes-Benz sells in Hong Kong produces 50 per cent less emission compared with Hong Kong government standards. 

He is looking forward to the introduction of the smart full electric version in the new year. In December, Zung Fu unveiled the new generation smart fortwo, a two- eater city car that meets the Environmentfriendly Petrol Private Car criteria of Hong Kong. The smart fortwo dates back to a Mercedes-Benz study, presented in the early 1980s. The smart car range became a part of the Zung Fu family in 2000, and three years later Hyundai became a part of the product portfolio. Zung Fu also distributes commercial vehicles, including vans and trucks.