The ‘graduates’ with Alfardan Automobiles and BMW Middle East officials at the ceremony.
Alfardan Automobiles, the official BMW importer in Qatar, was joined by the senior management from BMW Group Middle East last week for the graduation of 10 of its sales and aftersales executives from the BMW Certification Programme.
The programme is a global initiative designed to ensure that all sales and aftersales executives of BMW and Mini around the world represent the premium values of the brands in their dealings with customers. It sets to provide all executives with a comprehensive understanding of the products and brands they represent and includes a number of training modules, including product knowledge, customer service and brand behaviour. Each sales executive is required to pass all sessions to qualify for the sought-after accreditation.
Dr Joerg Breuer, managing director of BMW Group Middle East, was joined by Frank Nadler, area manager; Daniel Schreier, regional training manager for BMW Group Middle East; and Mohamed Kandeel, general manager of Alfardan Automobiles, at a ceremony in which the executives were awarded certificates of achievement in recognition of their accomplishment.
The guests also included Ayad As-Siaidi, sales manager, and Chris Weglinski, aftersales manager for Alfardan Automobiles.
“The programme sets a benchmark for customer service,” said Kandeel. “I’m proud to say that over a third of all graduates from across the region who took the training last year were from Qatar. It’s a great honour for the team, whose accomplishment is a testament to Alfardan Automobiles’ dedication to service excellence and proven track record of continuously delivering a high-quality, premium service from purchase through to the ownership period.”
Different certifications were awarded to the 10 executives. Stephanie Hafez, Ahmed Kamal and Fawzi Osta were appointed BMW certified sales executives while Aristotle Lagsit, Alan Botona and Ramy Karam were given the title of certified service adviser. Asim Raza was named customer care co-ordinator assistant while Jasper Baldovino and Ibrahim Kababiyik were both appointed bodyshop superviser. Motaz Sarhan was given the title of certified BMW workshop manager.
The objective of the BMW Certification Programme is to ensure that the BMW Group’s high standards are upheld throughout the region and all sales and aftersales executives are required to complete the course. The training programme continues throughout their careers, as performance and achievements are continuously monitored to ensure that what they learn during the training is put into action in the showroom.
Speaking at the event, Dr Breuer said: “This is the 10th year since BMW Group first implemented the sales certification, not only in the region, but also worldwide. The Middle East was actually one of the first markets in the world to take advantage of it, which highlights the importance BMW Group Middle East places on the training of staff across the region. Our 10 newest graduates have been equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their job to the high standards expected from a premium brand such as BMW.”
Alfardan Automobiles recently announced a 31% increase in sales in the first three months of 2013. The company was one of the five best performing Middle East markets in terms of sales growth.
This success reaffirms the strength and confidence in the BMW and Mini brands and sales and aftersales service satisfaction, leading to the continued rise in the demand for BMW cars in Qatar.