The Automobile Association has been operating in South Africa for almost ninety years - always priding ourselves on our customer service and loyalty to the values of honesty and integrity. Today, at a media briefing in Midrand, we announced our position regarding the status of the towing industry in the country, and what needs to be done to fix it.
The towing industry has, over the past number of years, developed an unfortunate reputation for being non-inclusive, resistant to transformation, and lacking customer focus. This has been an issue for the AA for a long time, as these values are essential to the core of our brand. Assisting our Members and Customers in the time of need is our number one priority, and doing this in the context of these values is critical.
To build the AA of the future, we need to prioritise our partnerships with people who share our vision, publicly pledge our commitment to the values we believe are important, and in so doing hold not only ourselves but our partners accountable to the South African public through a Service Charter.
The Service Charter outlines four key areas which we believe are essential first steps towards fixing the industry's reputation. These are:
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Always being available to Members and Customers,
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Ensuring Member and Customer satisfaction is a priority,
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Being accountable to Members and Customers, and,
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Valuing its partners and suppliers.
We also want to take this opportunity to push for rapid and meaningful transformation in the motoring and financial sectors. To this end, we are actively facilitating the entry of previously excluded partnerships into the network by assisting with skills training, development plans, and a fair and equitable allocation of income.
By committing the AA to these levels of service and transparency in the way we do business, we hope to influence the industry as a whole. The strength of any industry is generated through free and fair competition based on providing the best services to customers, who will ultimately reward good honest service.
“With this Charter, we are encouraging our industry colleagues to join us in making meaningful and sustainable changes to the way we operate. This industry must change and we are taking the first steps to ensuring this happens. It’s a move we think is to the benefit of everyone in this sector but, more importantly, to the benefit of all road users in the country,” said Mr Collins Khumalo, our CEO.