In line with its commitment to deliver topnotch service, the recently unified Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) held its first Nissan Service Technician Excellence Competency Award (NISTEC) and Nissan Service Advisor Excellence Competency Award (NISAC) National Competition last September 27, 2014 at the Nissan Training and Research Center in Santa Rosa, Laguna.

After being recognized by JD Power Asia Pacific’s 2014 Philippine Customer Service Index (CSI) study by garnering top marks in Customer Satisfaction with Aftersales Service among new vehicle owners, NPI continues to develop and carryout programs that increase the service reliability and competency of its Aftersales workforce.

With the aim to showcase the technical know-how and hands-on ability of Nissan Technicians and the customer relations management of Service Advisors, the 2014 NISTEC and NISAC National Competition aims to lift up the quality of service delivery standards of the whole Aftersales team for the benefit of Nissan customers.

“NISTEC-NISAC is a competition done globally in all countries where Nissan operates. It has been Nissan Motor Co. Limited’s program for more than 20 years,” said Mr. Antonio Zara, President and Managing Director of NPI. “Part of the JD Power criteria involves the competences of the Service Technicians and Service Advisors in achieving the over-all satisfaction of the customers. With this competition, we at NPI, aim to further improve the skills and capabilities of our Service Technicians and Service Advisors. We also want to encourage them to give the best kind of service our Nissan customers deserve,” Mr. Zara added.

Nissan now has a total of 217 Service Technicians and 59 Service Advisors nationwide. Through a series of rigorous sets of examinations in the pre-qualifying round, 12 finalists emerged as the strong contenders for the final competition. The six Service Technician and six Service advisor finalists were certified by Nissan Sales Technician Education Program (N-STEP) Nissan Sales Advisor Education Program (N-SAP) respectively.

In order to assess their skills, the NISTEC finalists underwent three rounds of practical exercises: Engine Diagnosis, Electrical Diagnosis and Repair, and Chassis Maintenance and Trouble Shooting; while the NISAC finalists were tested through a series of role plays for Receiving Process, Repair Authorization, and Delivery Process.

Mr. Ariel Lobrido of Nissan Bacolod proved that he is the Service Technician with the highest level of technical knowledge bagging the title of the Top Performer for NISTEC category. Mr. Lobrido started out as an on-the-job trainee in 2003 and has been with Nissan Bacolod ever since. “I am very happy with Nissan and I am thankful to always have the support of our management. I am also grateful for Nissan have provided me with helpful trainings and seminars to enhance our technical knowledge and skills required in our field,” said Mr. Lobrido.

Meanwhile, Nissan North EDSA’s Aldrin Mendez catered the best service experience, making him the top Service Advisor. Mr. Mendez has been with Nissan for 11 years, working with three service centers including Nissan Middle East for two years. “Being a service advisor is a challenging task but I found my passion in what I do. In Nissan, this is where I experienced growth and where my career flourished and I am very thankful for that,” Mr. Mendez added.