The place where training for the best customer service takes place is Hyundai’s Global Learning Center. The Global Learning Center is an incubator responsible for Hyundai’s customer service, conducting service training for salespeople and repair training for Blue Hands mechanics nationwide.
On the 14th, amid heavy snowfall in the central-southern region, I visited Hyundai’s Global Learning Center in Cheonan. This place is typically not open to the public, making this visit a rare opportunity arranged at the request of the Korean Automobile Journalists Association.
Hyundai’s Global Learning Center spans an area of 14,752 pyeong (approximately 48,823 square meters), with a total building area of 12,513 pyeong (approximately 41,263 square meters), which was renovated in May 2020 from the existing Cheonan Maintenance Training Center. The Cheonan Global Learning Center is composed of four floors, from the basement to the third floor. On the second floor, there are ten dedicated practice training rooms for passenger cars, two of which are specifically for electric vehicles. There is also a broadcast room equipped with a server capable of handling up to 1,000 connections simultaneously, designed for mechanics who cannot attend in person.
Not only mechanics but also sales staff receive training here. The practice room is designed to mimic a showroom and features an Ioniq 6 on display. Here, salespeople learn about new car sales and practice role-playing, moving closer to Hyundai’s promise of top-notch customer service. Every year, 13,000 trainees take classes at the Hyundai Global Learning Center.
On the basement level, there is a commercial vehicle training area for large trucks and buses. Journalists were welcomed by the Xcient hydrogen truck. The training aid vehicles enter the building through the external entrance, ensuring a clear separation between the movement of people and vehicles for safety.
Entering the warehouse with engines and transmissions, various types of engines and transmissions are neatly organized on shelves. In the engine warehouse, an Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) moves gears and engines on pallets toward the classrooms where lessons are conducted.
In addition to the training facilities for mechanics and sales staff, there are accommodations. The atmosphere in the accommodation during lunchtime is relaxed. After eating lunch, trainees can freely play billiards. The accommodation features a billiard room and table tennis area, as well as study and music listening rooms. Additionally, massage chairs are provided to help trainees unwind after a day of learning.
The trainees’ rooms are set up for two people and exceed the quality of an average business hotel, leaving one to wonder if they are in a training center or a hotel. Training in such excellent facilities creates the best services.
Hyundai’s home-to-home service, the first in the industry to directly pick up customers’ cars for maintenance and deliver them back to the desired location, has received positive feedback, prompting competing brands to benchmark and adopt it. Additionally, the “before service,” which includes vehicle inspections and maintenance consultations at customers’ preferred locations for safe vehicle operation, is becoming popular among customers. Furthermore, the Genesis Butler Service and Genesis Auto Care Service specifically for Genesis customers are also receiving acclaim.
Hyundai’s Global Learning Center, boasting top-level training facilities, is a place filled with the efforts and dedication of employees striving to create a sustainable future for Hyundai, distinct from its past.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr