Toyota Malawi says its customers are the organisation’s life partners and that’s why they need to give them the best customer care service.

Toyota Malawi managing director Arvinder Reel made these remarks in Blantyre on Saturday during the 2014 National Skills Contest whose winners will have the chance to compete in Japan and South Africa.

“Toyota Malawi believes in partnering with customers for life and by doing this, we hope to increase the customer base through good customer care service.  We developed national skills contest to improve on professionalism and excellence in each department so that there is stiff competition among employees,” said Reel.

He said the contest was introduced in 2007 and is competed in eight regions in Africa.

Technical, Vocational Education and Training Entrepreneurial Authority (Teveta) executive director Ndione Chauluka, hailed Toyota Malawi for the skills development programme.

“As government we applaud Toyota Malawi because companies can only deliver when employees are empowered with training in particular fields especially from marketing and sales. Through such skills development companies can customer trust.

“We are keen to develop and we need to satisfy the interests of customers and we have embraced the skills development initiative in our new policy,” said Chauluka.

Four departments namely, Service Advisers, Parts Sales and Parts Warehouse and Team 21 took part in the competition.