Meeting customer needs with high-quality products and services

Muscat – Shell Oman Marketing Company, a leading fuel marketing firm in the sultanate, has won Oman’s Most Trusted Brand 2022 in fuel station and lubricant categories. In an interview with Muscat Daily, Dr Mohammed al Balushi, CEO of Shell Oman Marketing Company, talked about Shell Oman’s approach to maintaining its brand value and consumer trust. He discussed the company’s commitment to providing high-quality products and services, exceeding customer expectations, and maintaining the highest standards of health and safety.

Shell Oman Marketing Company was voted by public as Oman’s Most Trusted Brand in fuel stations category for 2022. How has Shell Oman maintained its brand value and consumer trust over the years, and what strategies have been implemented to ensure brand consistency?

At Shell Oman, we understand that maintaining our position as a leading fuel marketing company requires more than just having service stations in every area. We are committed to providing our customers with the best quality products and services. We are working tirelessly to ensure that we are not only meeting but exceeding customer expectations, while ensuring that our operations demonstrate the highest standards of health, safety, security and environment (HSSE) as well as ethics and compliance.

To maintain the trust of our customers, we have implemented various measures to ensure that our fuels and other products and services are of the highest quality. In terms of customer service, we place great emphasis on providing a positive experience for our customers through our ‘People Make the Difference Real’ program. This program ensures that our staff members are well-trained and knowledgeable, and our stations are transformed into destinations that offer a range of products and services to meet our customers’ diverse needs in a safe, clean and well-maintained environment. Furthermore, our ongoing promotions and offers help us maintain brand loyalty, providing an all-round service to our customers.

Can you describe Shell Oman’s approach to customer service and how it contributes to your brand’s success?

We believe that being customer-centric is essential to our success as a brand. We have implemented an approach centred on the needs of our customers. This means that we prioritise understanding their preferences, concerns, and feedback, so that we can provide them with the best possible experience. We invest heavily in R&D to develop new and innovative products that meet the evolving needs of our customers, and that explains that over the years Shell Oman has been a pioneer in the Omani market for introducing new products and services and many times creating a need in the market. For instance, in 1996 Shell Oman launched the first 24-hour convenience store in Oman under Shell Select brand. In the same year, we were the first fuel marketing company to launch fuel cards in Oman. In 2005, Shell Oman was the first fuel marketing company to launch differentiated fuel formula in the Omani market. Our recent launches include our Shell V-Power differentiated fuels and our new Shell Café coffee brand.

Efficiency is another critical component of our customer service approach. We understand that our customers lead busy and fast-paced lives and do not want to waste their time waiting in long queues or dealing with inefficient processes. Therefore, we have designed our processes to be as streamlined and efficient as possible, to ensure that our customers can get in and out quickly. Friendliness is also essential to our approach to customer service. We believe that creating a friendly and welcoming environment is key to building long-lasting relationships with customers. Our staff members are trained to be polite, courteous, and approachable, and we encourage them to go beyond to make our customers feel valued.

We use customer feedback to continuously improve our services. We understand that customer expectations are constantly evolving, and we need to keep up with these changes to remain competitive. Therefore, we regularly seek feedback from our customers to understand their satisfaction levels and identify areas for improvement.

All of this has been critically instrumental in forging long-lasting relationships with our customers in the sultanate. As we move forward, we hope to expand our network, to power more journeys, and to cater to individuals across the length and breadth of the country.

How do you plan to continue building and evolving Shell brand in the future to maintain its position as a leader in fuel marketing industry?

To continue building and evolving the Shell brand in the future, our clear focus is on innovation and sustainability. We aim to provide our customers with cutting-edge products and services that meet their evolving needs and contribute to a more sustainable future. Moreover, we are working towards smart service stations. Recently we announced the smart service station concept. This makes Shell Oman the first fuel marketing company in Oman to plan to implement these state-of-the-art modular service stations and which hopefully will come into implementation in the near future.

We are also working towards the green mobility and have taken steps in that direction. For instance, last year we inaugurated our first electric vehicle-charging unit in Oman at the Al Bandar Service Station in Seeb. Our commitment to adapting to the changing customer needs is an example of the steps we are taking to play our role in providing more cleaner energy solutions. This comes in line with Shell’s powering progress strategy, and the priorities and pillars of Oman Vision 2040.

We aim to expand our electric vehicle (EV) charging network with aim to connect the main cities in Oman over the coming two years. Globally, Shell’s commitment to this cause is evident from the fact that it currently operates 8,000 public chargers globally, and this is just the beginning. Furthermore, we have 90,000 chargers for use in homes and offices, and our target is to install half a million chargers by 2025 and 2.5mn by 2030. Shell’s global operations span across 80 countries and we have EV charging facilities in 30 countries.

Recently, we have also introduced the Shell Go+ app for our loyal customers, which enables them to accumulate reward points for each visit. These points can be utilized to obtain special offers at Shell service stations.

By continuing to invest in these areas and our evident focus on innovation, we are determined to meet the evolving needs of our customers while contributing towards a more sustainable future.

Shell Helix has also won Oman’s Most Trusted Brand Award in lubricants category. Can you tell why most people put their trust on Shell Helix when it comes to consuming lubricants?

Shell Helix has won Oman’s Most Trusted Brand Award in the lubricants category, and this is demonstrative of our commitment to quality, performance, and innovation. We owe this recognition to the world-renowned Shell Helix Ultra, which caters to customers who want their vehicles to deliver optimal power and performance over time. What makes it even more exciting is the fact that Shell Helix and Shell Helix Ultra that are supplied in Oman and some regional markets are in fact made in Oman along with other Shell lubricant brands in our Shell Lubricant Blending Plant located in Mina Al Fahal.

As the number one global lubricant supplier for 16 consecutive years, this award is an appreciation of the trust it evokes among users who seek products and services that carry the Shell brand name. Our products are trusted by numerous leading global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and are designed to meet the needs of every engine. We use advanced technologies to develop lubricants that provide better fuel efficiency and engine protection. We also prioritise safety and environmental sustainability, which has helped establish trust with our customers. We have recently launched carbon neutral lubricant which is designed for ultimate engine performance and offers lower emissions and better fuel economy.

What key features differentiate Helix from some of your major competitors in the market?

Our main advantages over the competitors are our adoption of cutting-edge technologies, and our emphasis on customer satisfaction. Shell Helix gives longer lasting engine performance, Shell Helix technology is trusted by Scuderia, Ferrari and BMW M Motorsport. We allocate substantial resources towards research and development to ensure our products remain at the forefront of innovation.

Our Shell Helix engine oils are designed to cater to the needs of customers, no matter what driving difficulties they may face. Many leading OEMs choose Shell Helix technology. The Shell Helix Ultra line offers a broad range of oils that suit all types of engines, ranging from the first-ever synthetic motor oil created from natural gas, Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology, to high-quality multi-grade oils suitable for regular driving situations.

How many service stations Shell operates at present in Oman? What are the future expansion plans?

At present, Shell operates over 206 service stations in Oman. We are committed to expanding our presence in the country to ensure that our customers have convenient access to our services. Our future expansion plans will be based on market demand and customer needs, and we will continue to prioritise sustainability and innovation in our operations.