Aftersales: What the Workshop Taught Me That Boardrooms Never Did — Amarjeet Singh @ AJ

Aftersales: What the Workshop Taught Me That Boardrooms Never Did

An essay by Amarjeet Singh @ AJ — Cars • Motorcycles • Malaysia & ASEAN Exposure

Everyone celebrates new vehicle sales — launches, booking numbers, influencers, roadshows. But the truth I learned the hard way is this: new sales excite the ego; aftersales sustains the business.

Everyone talks about sales. Units sold. Market share. Monthly targets. PowerPoint slides that look good, sound confident, and disappear after the meeting ends.

Let me ask a simple question — one I learned to ask only after years in the industry:

If sales are doing so well, why does the business still feel fragile?

That question followed me across cars, motorcycles, brands, countries, and roles. And the answer, every single time, came back to the same place: Aftersales.

I Didn’t Start Out Seeing It This Way

When I was with DRB-Hicom, managing multiple brands across four-wheelers and two-wheelers, aftersales was often positioned as operational — support-driven — something to be “fixed” with campaigns.

We ran promotions. We pushed free labour. We incentivised visits. And honestly — on paper — it worked.

So why did something still feel off?

• Why did customers come… but not stay?
• Why did service frequency soften even when campaigns looked “successful”?
• Why did repeat behaviour weaken despite strong marketing activity?

That was my first real discomfort — and my first real wake-up call.

The Workshop Knows Before the Reports Do

The workshop always knows the truth before the dashboard does.

You feel it when:

• Advisors start repeating explanations and defending basics.
• Customers hesitate before approving work.
• Appointments get pushed “one more time”.
• Familiar faces quietly disappear.

No one storms out. No one makes noise. They just stop coming. And we call it “price sensitivity”.

But is it really price?

Many leave because value isn’t obvious, the journey is inconvenient, communication is weak, and the experience feels transactional — not intentional.

Motorcycles Changed My Thinking Forever

When I moved into the two-wheeler world with Kawasaki, the lesson became sharper — and louder. Motorcycle customers are different: emotionally invested, technically curious, community-driven, unfiltered.

One bad service experience doesn’t end at the counter. It appears that night in a rider group. By morning, everyone knows.

Aftersales is not a department. It is a reputation engine.

So I Started Asking Different Questions

Not:

• “What campaign can fix this?”
• “How do we compete with outside workshops?”

But:

• Why should they want to come back?
• What friction are we creating without noticing?
• Where does trust quietly break?

And the toughest one:

If I were the customer, would I return without being bribed by discounts?

From Brands to Consulting: Same Pattern, Different Accent

Later, through my consulting journey with a few international brands across Malaysia and ASEAN, I expected different problems. Different markets, cultures, and price points.

But customers everywhere ask the same silent questions: Is this fair? Is this clear? Is this worth my time? Can I trust you again?

Whether it was a mass car brand in Malaysia, a premium motorcycle customer, or a developing network in the region — the mechanics of trust never changed. Only the excuses did.

Workshop Enhancement Was Never About Equipment Alone

Tools matter. Layout matters. Capacity matters. But workshop enhancement that actually works focuses on:

• Flow, not congestion
• Explanation, not assumption
• Predictability, not surprises

Customers don’t fear cost. They fear surprises. When workshops become clearer — not just faster — retention stops bleeding.

Customer Service Was the Multiplier

Customer service is not a “soft skill”. It is a commercial lever. Great service advisors don’t upsell — they translate.

When customers understand the job, the timeline, and the fairness of what they’re paying for, disputes reduce, trust rises, and repeat visits become natural.

And Then Social Media Made Everything Public

What used to be private dissatisfaction is now public narrative:

• Facebook owner groups
• WhatsApp / Telegram circles
• Rider forums
• Google reviews
• Comment sections

A question you should ask today:

If your workshop experience was posted online today — unedited — would you be proud of it?

Your strongest marketing messages are being written without you. One bad post can undo months of advertising. One honest defence from a real customer can do what no campaign can buy.

The Irony That Still Bothers Me

Aftersales has the longest customer relationship, the most predictable demand, the clearest warning signals, and the strongest margin stability.

Yet many organisations still treat it as SOP, cost, and firefighting. Most have sales strategy, marketing strategy, product strategy — but no true aftersales strategy.

What I Know Now (And Wish I Knew Earlier)

Aftersales success does not come from louder campaigns, bigger discounts, or smarter slogans. It comes from:

• Transparency over tactics
• Convenience over cleverness
• System design over firefighting
• Respect for customer intelligence over assumptions

Retention doesn’t spike. It settles. And settled customers are profitable customers.

So I’ll end with this:

Is it really price — or trust?
Is it really competition — or confusion?
Is it really marketing — or a system built for operations, not relationships?

Because in automotive — two wheels or four — aftersales doesn’t fail loudly. It leaks quietly. Until customers tell the story for you.

— Amarjeet Singh @ AJ

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