B-Quik In The Fast Lane: Building A Customer Service Brand In Thailand’s Automobile Industry

Set in March 2024, this case describes the entrepreneurial journey of B-Quik, an automobile servicing company in Thailand. Acquired by Kiks and his partner in 2003 as a management buyout, B-Quik grew from a loss-making venture comprising 25 stores to become a premium and largest customer service brand with 220 service centres nation-wide, with US$200 million in revenues and US$30-$35 million in profits. The company has also successfully expanded into the neighbouring markets of Indonesia and Cambodia.

The car servicing market in Thailand is dominated by an unorganised sector with conveniently located neighbourhood stores and low prices. Moreover, car owners often hold negative perceptions of car servicing and repair tasks, compounded by a general lack of trust in service providers. B-Quik has differentiated itself by offering superior customer service and charging a premium for it. The company focuses on employee and customer-centric policies and processes and runs effective marketing campaigns and promotions to ensure the credibility and trustworthiness of its brand.

In 2023, the company introduced its membership programme with attractive discounts to increase its share of wallet from existing customers as well as gain new customers. While the initiative was successful, having attracted over one million members by the end of the year, its ability to continue to draw new members faced uncertainty, especially with an upcoming price hike in the next quarter. Should the company increase the discount tiers for members to offset the negative effects of the price hike and boost membership enrolment? Would this approach yield short-term benefits, and what implications might it have on long-term customer loyalty?

Students will gain practical insights into building a customer-service brand and differentiating it in a fragmented market. They will apply frameworks like RATER to assess service quality, understand the role of leadership and impact of employee management and customer orientation, and evaluate strategic trade-offs in positioning for the core consumer segment. Additionally, they will explore B-Quik’s growth strategies, distinguishing between customer acquisition and share-of-wallet approaches.

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