Spirit 38 - Volvo Construction Equipment

The secret behind Genserv’s successes is in how it looks at service and the aftermarket
“We needed to teach our customers
that they benefit over the long-term in
buying Volvo.”
Volvo partner since 1998
Founded in 1976 as a supplier of spare parts with
a few brands, Genserv has grown to become Oman’s leading
supplier of plant equipment. The company has more than
15 premium brands in its portfolio and sells everything from
boat engines to generators, rock crushers to excavators. The
collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment has been
running since 1998, and since then Genserv has not only
succeeded in introducing completely new brands onto the market
for the people of Oman, but has also made it the leading brand in
the country. Market share is above 35 per cent with annual sales
in a good year in excess of 500 machines.
The financial crisis, however, brought with it tough
challenges for the capital-intensive machine hardware industry.
“Sales plummeted and all of a sudden we were sitting
on stock in excess of 300 machines. But Volvo responded early on
and said that they would treat all dealerships’ stock as if it were
their own. By ferrying machines between different markets they
made sure that we were quickly able to cut our cloth according
to prevailing conditions, which we’re extremely grateful for,” says
Ahmed Rashed.
Meanwhile, according to him, the crisis was an
opportunity for Genserv to sharpen its own sales arguments.
“We needed to work hard to teach our customers that
they would benefit over the long-term in buying Volvo because
they would get a reliable machine that cuts costs in everything
from down-time to service and fuel consumption.
Easier complaints procedure
The secret behind Genserv’s successes is in how it looks
at service and the aftermarket. The company works innovatively to
take care of customer needs as effectively as possible. A toll free
phone number was introduced two years ago, which customers
could call with their complaints and views. Each case is registered
in a central register that all managers and team leaders at the
company can access and follow up. The case is then passed on to
Genserv’s specialists who call up the customer within 30 minutes.
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