Outstanding Customer Service in Mechanical Engineering: Best Practices for Customer Satisfaction and Success
Was zeichnet einen exzellenten Kundenservice aus?
Die Service-Kultur eines Unternehmens besteht aus drei Säulen: Dienstleistungen, Prozessen und Menschen.
- Dienstleistungen ergänzen das Kernprodukt. Sie sind ein wesentlicher Differenzierungsfaktor und bieten damit eine große Chance, das Unternehmen von Mitbewerbern zu unterscheiden. Da Kernprodukte immer vergleichbarer werden, können Dienstleistungen eine wertvolle Ergänzung und ein wesentliches Entscheidungskriterium sein.
- Prozesse müssen effizient sein und reibungslos funktionieren. Insbesondere hier bietet die Digitalisierung durch verschiedene Technologien zahlreiche Möglichkeiten der Standardisierung, Automatisierung und Steigerung der Reaktions- und Bearbeitungsgeschwindigkeit.
- Menschen, also die Mitarbeiter des Unternehmens, sind ein wesentlicher Erfolgsfaktor für exzellenten Kundenservice. Sie müssen empathisch sein, sich also in den Kunden und in seine Situation hineinversetzen können. Gleichzeitig benötigen Sie aber auch eine hohe Kompetenz und den nötigen Freiraum, um in bestimmten Situationen für einen Kunden vom Standardprozess abweichen zu können.
Wenn alle drei Säulen auf einem hohen Niveau performen und ineinandergreifen, gelingt ein exzellenter Kundenservice. An welchen Punkten Sie konkret ansetzen können, zeigen die nachfolgenden Tipps.
So erreichen Sie einen exzellenten Kundenservice
1. Stellen Sie den Kunden stets in den Mittelpunkt
Eine kundenzentrierte Unternehmenskultur ist der Grundstein für exzellenten Kundenservice. Stellen Sie sicher, dass Ihre Mitarbeiter die Bedürfnisse und Erwartungen Ihrer Kunden verstehen und schätzen. Fördern Sie eine offene Kommunikation und Teamarbeit. Unterstützen Sie Ihre Mitarbeiter bei der kontinuierlichen Weiterbildung, um ihre Fähigkeiten im Kundenservice zu verbessern.
2. Digital touchpoints: open up new channels for customer service
Companies and customers both want the same thing from customer service: the solution to a problem as quickly as possible. Digitalization is opening up new ways of achieving this goal, from chat tools, chatbots, and automation solutions to video calls, remote services, augmented and virtual reality, as well as online contact centers, to name just a few examples.
Customers have access to many of these technologies around the clock, but they still need to have the option of speaking with someone who can assist them via familiar communication channels such as phone and email.
3. Respond to inquiries promptly
Resolving problems quickly can be crucial to avoiding expensive production downtime in the mechanical engineering sector. So make sure that your customer service team responds to inquiries promptly and offers effective solutions. Set up clear communication channels and use modern technologies such as help desk software or CRM systems to manage and prioritize inquiries efficiently.
4. Be proactive
Proactive customer service pinpoints problems and gets them taken care of before anything worse happens. Monitor your machines’ performance, use predictive maintenance strategies, and inform your customers of potential problems before they occur. This shows them that you are looking after their needs, and lets you deliver on outstanding customer service that puts you way ahead of the crowd.
5. Give your service and support teams the right tool
Continue to offer your customers first-class technical support after their purchase—provided by qualified, experienced experts. Make sure that your customer service team has easy access to all service-relevant information about a customer’s specific machine. Current, model-specific information and direct links between spare parts and technical documentation are a big help here, as they allow your employees to provide expert assistance for both unscheduled (e.g., remedying faults) and scheduled (e.g., maintenance, retrofit) jobs.
6. Streamline your spare parts process
A speedy, reliable spare parts service creates the conditions for minimizing downtime and keeping your customers’ production up and running. With this in mind, service managers should make sure that their spare parts management is set up with efficiency in mind and that spare parts can be quickly and easily purchased and delivered.
7. Offer your customers training
By offering courses and training, you help your customers harness the full potential of your machines and systems. As well as increasing their trust in your products and services, this keeps them coming back and helps you retain customers over the long term.
8. Always be transparent
Open lines of communication are the key to building trust and loyalty. Keep your customers up to date on important developments, product updates, and services. Be open and honest about any problems or delays, and offer them concrete solutions. This shows your customers that you take their concerns seriously and are working hard to find the right way to address their queries.
9. Actively seek customer feedback
Run surveys on a regular basis, ask for reviews, and track customer complaints to get a better feel for what aspects of your customer service are working well and where you need to improve. Use this feedback to take your services to the next level and develop even better solutions.
Conclusion: Outstanding customer service is a must in the mechanical engineering sector
Outstanding customer service comes down to a blend of many factors such as rapid response times, professional assistance in support and service, and actively listening to the customer. Employees who have easy access to relevant, model-specific information can provide prompt, targeted assistance in response to both faults and customer inquiries.
With our software solutions, we offer the digital tools your service and support teams need to identify and order spare parts around the clock as well as access the related technical documentation.
Quanos SIS.one is our powerful spare parts catalog and service information system. Our Quanos InfoTwin solution takes an even broader approach by networking technical documentation with spare parts and service information. These software solutions help technicians meet their customers’ needs efficiently—which boosts customer satisfaction and ultimately ensures your company’s success.