Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has announced that in light of the current outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the fight against the epidemic it has taken preventive measures to safe guard health and safety of all stakeholders including: customers, employees, and dealer partners. The OEM says it has been closely monitoring the evolving situation and responding appropriately in accordance with guidance issued by the government.

Commenting on the measures taken by the company, Naveen Soni, senior vice-president, Sales and Service, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “Our first priority is the health and safety of all our stakeholders. As a committed corporate, we are taking all preventive measures to sustain normal business operations. We have created SOPs internally to maintain normalcy at workplace as well as for our partners ensuring hassle-free customer interface. We are actively responding to the changing market conditions and taking countermeasures wherever required to deal with contingencies that may arise in the future.”

As part of the steps taken to offer convenience  to customers, the company says it is developing a 360-degree vehicle display on its website, helping them take a virtual tour of each vehicle and get a better understanding to make an informed purchase decision.  In terms of other updates, the company says customers can book test drive and check prices for its models on its website; e-brochure with all product information being made available online; ability to accessorise vehicles online;  T-Connect — service appointment booking; test drive and vehicle delivery at customers residence and lastly service pick up and drop.

In addition, Toyota Kirloskar Motor is continuously monitoring its business operations in the country and taking preventive measures to grasp any challenges that may come forth. What's more, dealer partners are also being encouraged to take adequate precautions and sanitise all the customer touch points at the dealerships. This the company says will help in effectively countering the virus threat, build customer confidence visiting the dealerships and simultaneously, take care of the employees. Further, virtual tools are being utilised as a key platform to share information, and provide services to the customers, at their convenience.

TKM has suspended fingerprint biometric attendance system as a preventive measure in order to maintain good hygiene and build an uncontaminated environment at workplace. Employees are also being encouraged to maintain social distancing, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth, practice respiratory hygiene, wash hands more often and stay at home if they see any COVID-19 symptoms. The company has also released strict advisory to minimise domestic and restrict international travel to severely affected regions.