http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/arch...level-20130612

Published June 12, 2013

Lexus Boutique aims to take service to new level

By samuel ee


[SINGAPORE] On a street where luxurious customer lounges and airconditioned delivery bays are the norm, Lexus says it is raising the bar with a new showroom and an even higher level of service.

The Lexus Boutique is the Japanese premium carmaker's answer to the increasingly competitive high-end auto segment. Officially opened last night, the extensively renovated 20,000 square foot showroom along Leng Kee Road is now five times bigger, with the full range of models displayed over two floors on a palette of black stone and warm wood.

It is not just the brick and mortar that has been upgraded. William Choo, the Lexus commercial director for authorised distributor Borneo Motors Singapore, said the service now embraces the "Lexus Covenant", the car-maker's commitment to excellence.

"Service before the renovation was already high but now we are a few notches higher. We promise a level of individual attention and consideration that has made Lexus a benchmark of customer satisfaction in the auto industry and beyond," he said.

The concept of omotenashi encapsulates what this entails: It is the Lexus style of bespoke hospitality and implies "an insightful understanding of customer wants and needs with thoughtful caring".

The philosophy is based on samurai culture; Lexus staff here were trained in traditional Japanese manners and etiquette by an expert flown in for the $50,000, two-day course.

Mr Choo said: "The combination of attentive customer care and world-class automobiles is what we at Lexus believe is a true luxury experience.

"In the spirit of omotenashi, we strive to treat our customer as a guest in our home, while recognising that we have to anticipate and personalise each solution because each guest has different needs."

For example, when a customer first walks in, he or she is welcomed by the Lexus Brand concierge, who alerts the showroom staff to the arrival by walkie-talkie. The concierge, a Japanese woman, is really that - she will also book your concert tickets and lunch appointments if necessary.

If it is not the customer's first visit, his or her preferred drink - a detail stored in the customer profile - will be served up.

The customer is next greeted by a white-gloved sales consultant, who stands with hands in front, left over right. Samurai culture deems this to be friendly body language because it conveys the message that the sword will not be drawn, since the right hand that traditionally wields it is covered.

If some privacy is required during the purchase of a new car, these take place in discussion rooms furnished in quirkily Japanese retro style. New and old world wines, including those from Bordeaux and Burgundy, are on hand too.

On the day the customer comes to take delivery of the car, a Lexus butler attends to this in one of the seven delivery suites, doing everything from ensuring it is in pristine condition for the handover to transferring the owner's belongings and windscreen labels from the old car to the new.

Those servicing their cars are not forgotten either. In addition to massage chairs and drinks and snacks on site, owners making their service appointments can also order a hot breakfast in advance; the menu includes nasi lemak and mee siam, and also sausages and shepherd's pie.

Mr Choo said: "This level of refined attention is not just service for the sake of service, but intended to achieve an incredible customer experience."

No expense was spared apparently, with even a signature Lexus scent created for the showroom. The aroma has "top notes of green apple, Sicilian cedar wood with blue bells, jasmine, white rose petals, fresh bamboo and cedarwood".

So what kind of sales increase does he expect in return for the cost of this level of attention to detail?

Mr Choo declined to specify, saying no sales targets were set.

"We just want to ensure a superior level of service. People who purchase a $10,000 handbag are already treated so well. So if you come in to buy a $200,000 car, this is the minimum level of attention and service we can give to you."