Staying Close to Our Customers, Building Trust
The Service Department—A Voice for
Our Customers and Sales Network
“I want to be on the front lines, closest to our customers, sharing both the challenges and the joy.” This was one of the motivations behind my decision to pursue a service role in a manufacturing company. For me, nothing is more motivating than hearing a simple “thank you” in person. I feel that this simple phrase has the power to further enhance my capabilities.
Inside Yamaha, the service department acts as the voice of our customers and sales network. By maintaining a broad perspective across the entire company while accurately understanding how products are used in the field, I aim to engage closely with the relevant departments to maximize the sense of security and satisfaction of the customers I represent. I feel a strong sense of duty to make this happen. While I might sometimes be perceived as somewhat outspoken within the company, I consider that to be part of my responsibility as an advocate for our customers.
On the other hand, there was a gap between the service work I had initially envisioned and the reality of the job. The headquarters service function mainly plays a behind-the-scenes support role, acting as a hub that gathers market feedback and information about real-world usage through distributors both inside and outside Japan, and works with quality assurance and design teams to drive improvements. The ideal vision I have for the service department is to be a trusted presence that serves as a key link connecting customers, dealers, and our colleagues within the company: accurately receiving the voice of our customers, conveying it within the company, and transforming it into better products. I believe that the accumulation of these efforts builds trust with our customers and ultimately helps to enhance the overall value of the brand.
Striving for Globally Consistent,
High-Quality Service
“Ensuring maintainability during the design phase is also one of the key missions of the service department.” We place prototype units in the development stage on a service lift and evaluate them from the perspective of dealership technicians. Can maintenance and repair be performed using only standard equipment, without the need for special tools? Is the required time and skill level appropriate for the task? We assess maintenance-friendly mechanisms and layouts, incorporating feedback from our global distributors throughout the process. These steady efforts during the development phase will ultimately lead to better after-sales service in the future.
Through firsthand experience in the field, I have come to appreciate the importance of continuously improving after-sales service. I have realized that we cannot provide high-quality service without truly understanding how our products are used through firsthand experience. For this reason, I make it a point to personally experience our products in my private time and enjoy them to the fullest. While valuing my role as the voice of our customers, I aim to further strengthen my customer-oriented perspective and continuously enhance the quality of our after-sales service.
