With lockdown restrictions easing up around the country, dealerships of India’s biggest two-wheeler manufacturers are slowly resuming operations again. Here are the steps these dealerships will be taking to ensure a secure, experience and keep customers protected from the spread of COVID-19.
A Sanitized Experience
Before the doors of the dealerships are thrown open, every nook and cranny of the building will have been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. This a welcome step for the safety of the staff and the customers who will visit.
Digital Showroom Experience
Don’t be surprised if dealerships discourage you from making a personal appearance and instead request you to take a virtual gander at the products on offer. E-showrooms are the much safer option in these difficult times, and you can get all the information you need online, including digital brochures, accessory lists, price details and more.
Order Online
Getting a new set of wheels is great, but not when it could potentially be accompanied by an infection of the Coronavirus as well. So if possible, do your shopping online, as you have most likely been doing for everything else. Since most if not all manufacturers already have web0based sales channels in place, you can build your ride with all the add-ons you want, choose your colour, and make the payment all online. The bike will be delivered to your doorstep so that you don’t even need to step into the showroom if you know what you want.
Mask On
Dealership staff will be given masks, numbers of the working staff will be kept in control, and all social distancing norms laid down by the government will be followed to the letter to reduce physical contact and ensure safety all around. Strategic placement of sanitizers, contactless operational procedures and regular temperature tests using IR thermometers will all be part of the process.
Hold Off on Test Rides
Test rides will be actively discouraged to ensure that there is no transmission of the virus. Unless the customer is absolutely insistent, test rides will not be handed out. And even if you do opt for a test ride and are granted one, a pillion will not be allowed to go for the spin with you. Regardless of the insistence of your better-half to test out the pillion comfort or the stubborn demands from the young one to go for a joyride, you can only ride solo when testing the bike out.
Delivery Timelines
Considering the fact that production has ground to a halt across the board, and factories are only now starting to pick up the slack, stocks may not last very long once dealerships start opening up. If your need for a new bike is particularly dire, don’t wait too long to place your order or you may find yourself at the wrong end of an extensive wait-list.
Keep it Clean
Each bike will be sanitized completely before it is delivered and for obvious reasons. The whole rigmarole around deliveries will also be eliminated for a quick, clean and contact-free experience. So no group photo with the family, no ceremonies and no selfies. Just an efficient, and most importantly, safety-driven experience.
Senior Correspondent at Bike India Magazine
A travel-junkie who loves rock-n-roll and football, and spends endless hours playing video games in his free time
Harket Suchde – who has written 167 posts on Bike India.
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