Japan
Domestic Service
Since its founding, Toyota has worked to provide its customers with outstanding servicing and quality vehicles by training and supporting dealer servicing staff at Toyota dealers and by collecting and making the best use of quality-related information.
Over the years, Toyota has actively enhanced its car servicing systems and improved car servicing capabilities according to the '3S Spirit' (Seikaku, Shinsetsu, Shinrai:: Precision, Kindness, and Reliability).
To adapt to the maturing Japanese market, Toyota has also worked to expand its value chain by increasing the productivity of dealer servicing and by encouraging its wider use.
|
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
|---|---|---|
|
1937
|
|
Service Section established in Sales Division
|
|
1938
|
May
|
Service workshops held for dealers
|
|
1948
|
|
Service workshops resumed after being cancelled during World War II
|
|
|
National meeting of service technicians held to gather technical information from the market
|
|
|
1950
|
July
|
Service Division (Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.) established;
- Sales Division's Service Section was upgraded to Service Division and given two sections, Service Section and Inspection Section |
|
1951
|
December
|
Authorized service shop system instituted
|
|
|
Rapid development of dealer service network promoted
|
|
|
1954
|
November
|
Title for promoters of Toyota Service Advisor Program changed from 'Road Man' to 'Field Man (field representatives)';
- Working with regional staff from Vehicle Division and Field Man from Parts Division and Mineral Oil Division, programs for managing and training dealer's divisions in organized manner were strengthened |
|
1956
|
|
Facility Planning Guide', a guide for dealers on Service shop construction, published
|
|
1957
|
February
|
Seibi Section established to strengthen service systems for direct delivery and exported vehicles
|
|
February
|
Complaints Section converted into an independent organization to strengthen quality assurance operations:
- Field Operations Section established to manage all Field Man |
|
|
November
|
Program to award outstanding service advisors at dealerships started
|
|
|
1958
|
April
|
The eight-month long nationwide field services launched
|
|
1961
|
October
|
Training Section for dealer's service mechanics established; Training Center opened
|
|
1972
|
November
|
First campaign to entice customers to get vehicle inspections held (until December 31)
|
|
1973
|
February
|
'Toyota Service 3S Campaign' held (until 1982); Campaign emphasizes 'the five values of Toyota Service Fundamentals' (revised to the seven values in 1974);
- The 3S Spirit (Seikaku, Shinsetsu, Shinrai: Precision, Kindness, and Reliability) becomes an enduring motto of Toyota Service |
|
1977
|
January
|
First all-Toyota Service Division General Manager meeting held
|
|
February
|
Research team sent from the Servicing Division to Europe
|
|
|
May
|
'Body Repair Project Team' launched in the Service Division
|
|
|
October
|
The era of the 10 million vehicle ownership arrived in Japan
|
|
|
1979
|
February
|
Maintenance quality check initiative launched
|
|
October
|
Vehicle inspection standards revised
|
|
|
November
|
'Toyota Mechanitron 501', a comprehensive engine diagnostic device, marketed to nationwide dealers
|
|
|
1980
|
February
|
Vehicle body and paint repair training program for dealers launched
|
|
1982
|
July
|
New Service Division established due to the merger between Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. and Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.
|
|
1984
|
January
|
Service advisors Training Program changed from a 5-step (5-year) to a 4-step (4-year) program
|
|
April
|
National Technical Competition changed from an annual to a biennial event
|
|
|
1985
|
February
|
National Competition of Outstanding Service Managers held (again in 1986)
|
|
August
|
System to unify maintenance warranties across all dealers in Japan launched (Currently known as 'Toyota Dealer Service Insurance'
|
|
|
1987
|
|
Productivity Improvement Promotion Team established
|
|
|
Initiatives (customer relations (CR) activities) to promote vehicle checkups started (CR Promotion Department established)
|
|
|
1988
|
February
|
'CS No.1' set as a priority target
|
|
1989
|
April
|
Campaign launched to improve maintenance quality launched
|
|
1990
|
|
Service innovation (SI) concepts put into practice
|
|
1991
|
|
TES Program launched
|
|
|
Service Division achieved CS No.1
|
|
|
1993
|
January
|
The Toyota Service Guiding Principles formulated
|
|
April
|
Advisors' contest added to Technical Competition and competition's name changed to Servicing Techniques Contest
|
|
|
1996
|
January
|
Team CS, a department to support operational improvements, establised
|
|
|
The Toyota Service Guiding Principles revised to seven in total
|
|
|
1997
|
January
|
Due to the introduction of Sales Operation Group, Personnel in divisions related to Service and Sales moved to Sales Operations Group, as the organization is revamped into a divisional structure
|
|
April
|
Maintenance packages marketed (e.g., Smile Passport)
|
|
|
June
|
Activities focused on the 'S-Up Initiative' (4S , Safety, and Ideas Tools Contest) commenced
|
|
|
1998
|
June
|
Activities centered around the 'S-Up Initiative' (Maintenance Quality and Idea Tools Contest) commenced
|
|
October
|
Toyota Service Fair '98 held
|
|
|
November
|
SQ vehicle inspection was developed
|
|
|
1999
|
January
|
SROP activities began nationwide (BR organization established in Service Division)
|
|
April
|
Body & Paint contest added to Servicing Skills Contest
|
|
|
August
|
24-hour customer service hotline established through contract with Anshin Dial Co., Ltd.
|
|
|
November
|
'Toyota Dealer Environmental Guidelines' instituted
|
|
|
November
|
Toyota Service Fair '99 and Service Convention '99 held:
- Thereafter, activities have been continued as a national meeting of servicing managers |
|
|
2000
|
April
|
S-Up redesigned as S-Up 2000 Version II, using 'Show and Attract, 4S & Safety' as slogans
|
|
May
|
GALLOP21 launched a TECHNO SHOP Service enhancement program, launched
|
|
|
2001
|
February
|
'Hosyou ga tsukushi' plan extended warranty package marketed
|
|
|
S-Up 2000 Version II activities (Show and Attract Maintenance Quality) commenced
|
|
|
2002
|
August
|
WelCOM ("well communication"), launched(at Toyota Corolla Nagoya's Nisshin Takenoyama shop)
|
|
2003
|
April
|
Emergency servicing systems for extended holiday periods enhanced
|
|
July
|
'KIZUNAX' a discount Body and Paint repair service marketed
|
|
|
September
|
'Ten-minute car servicing' marketed
|
|
|
2004
|
April
|
'Servicing Skills Contest' cancelled due to sales channel consolidation
|
|
September
|
Service improvement activities commenced;
- dealer support activities have been continued thereafter |
|
|
2005
|
June
|
Customer Service Operations Group established
|
|
December
|
'Fix it Right Activities' launched (employees in the Technical Service Division assigned to continue activities)
|
|
|
2006
|
April
|
'Service Skills Contest' resumed
|
|
2007
|
January
|
Position of Field Man for Lexus brand established
|
|
January
|
Field Quality Department strengthened (Head Office)
|
|
|
April
|
Toyota's three technical schools renamed technical colleges
|
|
|
June
|
Aid sent to Oman after country was hit by major cyclone
|
|
|
July
|
Water-based Genuine Toyota paints marketed
|
|
|
2008
|
April
|
New training course on vehicle Body & Paint Estimation deployed for dealers
|
|
August
|
Future Forum 2008 (national meeting of servicing managers) held
|
|
|
|
'Prius Cup' race series held in five regional divisions (eight divisions in 2009);
- participating teams drove Prius vehicles and competed for the highest combined score in two categories: fuel-efficient driving and car servicing quality and speed |
|
|
2009
|
April
|
The 1st degree refresh training launched
|
|
June
|
'TSL(Toyota Sales Logistics) Instructor Course' started
|
|
|
July
|
First After-Sales Service Staff Awards Ceremony held:
- Ceremonies for 2010 and 2011 held together |
|
|
2010
|
January
|
Hybrid e Servicing (maintenance and inspections for hybrid vehicle) rolled out
|
|
December
|
The Prius Cup held nationwide in Japan
|
|
Year
|
Month
|
Events
|
|---|---|---|
|
1954
|
November
|
Technical Information Note created as tool for gathering technical information
|
|
1978
|
March
|
First edition of monthly Toyota Serviceman Life published
|
|
1982
|
December
|
C80(Challenge 80) , Sales and Servicing support system for dealers, is developed and training begun prior to introducing the system to dealers
|
|
1986
|
April
|
Warranty period of special parts extended from 2 years/50,000 km MAX to 3 years/60,000 km MAX
|
|
July
|
TECNO LAB installed to consolidate advanced technical service functions at each dealership
|
|
|
1989
|
January
|
Special warranty period to 5 years/100,000 km MAX
|
|
1992
|
July
|
C90 system introduced to replace the C80 system
|
|
July
|
Electrical parts catalogue (interfacing with C90) offered
|
|
|
1996
|
June
|
S2000, vehicle evaluation tool, introduced
|
|
September
|
BP estimation system, Espato (interfacing with C90), marketed
|
|
|
1999
|
January
|
Technical Manual published in digital format (CD-ROM)
|
|
February
|
Technical Service communications system, TQSC21-H, introduced
|
|
|
April
|
Technical Information Management Guidebook published
|
|
|
2000
|
|
Toyota Advanced Information 21 (ai21) introduced to replace C90 system
|
|
2002
|
January
|
Experts from the Engineering Division assigned to regional offices in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka
|
|
2003
|
August
|
TaSCAN (capable of interfacing with Tascal-H) introduced to replace S2000 vehicle diagnostics tool
|
|
September
|
National system comprising 12 regional offices completed
|
|
|
2004
|
December
|
New BP estimation system, Espato II, marketed
|
|
2005
|
June
|
All-Toyota servicing information network developed (integrated with Toyota Service Card and ai21)
|
|
June
|
Japanese warranty system revamped
|
|
|
August
|
Lexus warranty set to 5 years/100,000 km
|
|
|
2006
|
February
|
Use of an online Technical Manual began
|
|
2009
|
June
|
Next-generation service information system developed and deployed
|
