Smart services and transparent dialogue for maximum satisfaction

Availability is a central issue of fleet management in intralogistics - and a prerequisite for high customer satisfaction. After all, the smooth, reliable and increasingly optimised operation of industrial trucks is a crucial factor when considering the total cost of ownership. As a result, aspects such as customer orientation and service are becoming important differentiators in global competition. STILL, the Hamburg-based expert for customised intralogistics solutions, has been committed to the maxim of customer focus ever since the company was founded more than 100 years ago. And to this day, the claim to be the most customer-focused supplier in the industry is firmly anchored in the company's objectives. For good reason: Investing in an industrial truck is, after all, a long-term purchase and the equipment is usually in use for many years. Reliable and competent service during the time of use is an important guarantee for consistent availability and a partnership on an equal footing. "Customers often tell us that our excellent service is a key factor in their decision to choose STILL as their partner for intralogistics challenges," explains Frank Müller, Senior Vice President STILL Brand Management.

Indispensable even in the digital age: personal contact

STILL offers a comprehensive service network, more than 3,500 service technicians throughout EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and a wide range of smart service tools, also for predictive maintenance and vehicle-independent fleet management - but personal contact with the customer remains essential for long-term customer satisfaction. "From years of experience, we know how important it is for our customers to have a contact person who can be reached personally for all questions regarding vehicles, maintenance, repairs and further developments of their fleet," explains Frank Müller. "Continuous dialogue is also essential for us to provide our customers with competent advice and to develop solutions tailored precisely to their needs for their individual intralogistical challenges."

To objectively assess how satisfied customers really are with STILL's products, solutions and services and to identify any areas that may need improvement, STILL has been conducting customer satisfaction surveys in all business segments continuously for more than twelve years. Following contact with STILL employees, services or products, such as a repair, customers are asked about their experiences and satisfaction in a structured telephone interview. In addition to service, the survey also covers product-specific areas such as new equipment, used equipment and rental. "The customer satisfaction survey is an important evaluation tool for us, as it assesses the work of our sales and service organisation directly and at first hand. I am all the more pleased that in the area of service, especially the aspects of service quality, response time and competence of the technicians are always rated very positively," says Frank Müller.

Net Promoter Score:
Transparent key figures ensure highest customer satisfaction

The most important component of the customer satisfaction survey is the evaluation of the likelihood of customers recommending the company to others. For this purpose, STILL is using the NPS system. It was developed around 20 years ago and has since been used by leading companies around the world. The NPS is collected separately as part of the telephone customer surveys in all STILL business segments and provides information on a scale of zero to ten about how likely customers are to recommend STILL to others. The result of the evaluations is a score between -100 and +100, with an NPS greater than zero already representing a positive assessment. In the past twelve months alone, STILL has conducted more than 23,000 such interviews across all business segments in 20 countries throughout EMEA - with results that impressively demonstrate that STILL more than lives up to its own claim: In the service segment, the NPS in the EMEA region currently totals a very good 59.7 (with around 18,000 interviews conducted in this segment). This clearly shows that the vast majority of customers would recommend STILL's service to others.

At eye level with customers

Naturally, it is always best to receive praise. Nonetheless, STILL also sees critical customer reactions as a valuable opportunity. If criticism or dissatisfaction is expressed during an interview, the respective business unit is contacted personally by its regional contact person. The point of criticism is discussed in detail and a solution is found together. "Dealing with criticism in a solution-oriented way is essential for this," explains Frank Müller. "And in the process, we repeatedly find that it is often only minor adjustments that need to be made to resolve dissatisfaction and turn a critical customer into a satisfied multiplier."