Service makes the difference

Have you ever ordered anything from Amazon? There is a good chance that the answer to this question is "yes". In Europe and the USA, Amazon is the undisputed leader among online mail order companies. If you ask your own circle of acquaintances why they choose the mail order giant, you will find that fair prices are an important factor, but the decisive factor is usually the outstandingly good customer service, which goes far beyond fast delivery times. For example, if a product is defective or needs to be returned or exchanged for another reason, all it takes is a click in the online customer account and a friendly member of staff answers the phone within seconds. What follows is an uncomplicated, customer-friendly process characterized by goodwill. The question arises: can customers in the B2B sector be similarly retained by a company through good service?

Service performance is crucial for customers

Still only uses patented Still original parts for repairs. Photo: Still

For Hamburg-based Still GmbH, the answer to this question is a clear "yes". The company's own service performance is a decisive factor for the long-established company: "Our customers tell us time and again that our good service is a key reason for them to choose us as their partner," explains Jacques Arrighi, Head of Business Line Sales Applications & Services at Still. His assessment is supported by the results of a recent market survey conducted by a management consultancy in 2016. It revealed that service performance and reliability are the most important criteria for the companies surveyed from eight countries across Europe when choosing a partner for internal logistics - even before vehicle performance or price.

Jacques Arrighi is not surprised by the result, as investing in an industrial truck is a long-term purchase: "The average service life of the majority of our forklifts and warehouse trucks is ten years. Our service acts as an important guarantee for our customers for a decade of optimum availability," says Arrighi. There is no doubt that the smooth functioning of internal logistics is crucial to the success of companies in a highly competitive environment. If the internal flow of goods comes to a standstill, there is a risk of not only financial losses but also dissatisfied customers and passing competitors.

"Our service acts as an important guarantee for our customers for a decade of optimum availability"

Jacques Arrighi Head of Business Line Sales Applications & Services at Still.

Factors: quality, expertise and customer proximity

But what characterizes good service? For Arrighi, three factors count above all: "quality, competence and customer proximity", whereby he sees aspects such as availability and speed as sub-points of quality. Another quality feature is the components used: Still's more than 3,000 service technicians only install patented Still original parts and do so 24 hours a day, seven days a week in an emergency. Over 51,000 original parts in premium quality are permanently in stock at the largest Still spare parts center in Hamburg. If necessary, they can be delivered to the service technician within 24 hours. Within Europe, an order placed by 4 p.m. is sufficient for the required parts to be in the service van the next morning.

Quality, expertise and customer proximity - that's what characterizes Still Service. Photo: Still

The technicians are another hallmark that sets the company apart from the competition. "We invest a lot in targeted and comprehensive training for our technicians," explains Jacques Arrighi. "Instead of relying on specialists for certain appliance classes, we focus on a broad range of expertise. Many competitors shy away from this training effort, but we are convinced that it is worth the effort and that the customer receives real added value.

Investment in expertise pays off

The broad-based expertise enables Still to provide companies with permanent contacts instead of sending new faces to the customer depending on the application. This is well received: "The service technicians know their way around the company. I hardly have to supervise the technicians, they know where the vehicles are and act independently," says Mike-Werner Wentsch from the industrial truck management department at MTU Maintenance Hannover, describing his experience with Still's service. He also praises their availability: "If we have breakdowns that need to be dealt with quickly, Still Service is on site within two to three hours. It's not for nothing that we have defined Still as our standard."

Another advantage of this expertise is that anyone who is familiar with many classes of equipment will find solutions more quickly. For the Bremen-based warehouse logistics company L.I.T. Lager & Logistik, this has already turned many a challenge to good account: "We have had very good experiences with Still's service staff, who find solutions even when things are urgent," praises L.I.T. project manager for the Bremen site, Rolf Frerks.

Service for all

Modern equipment and innovative diagnostic tools support rapid troubleshooting. Photo: Still

Just how serious Still is about providing excellent service is also clear from the fact that it does not stop at its own brand of industrial trucks. Under the slogan Service4all, the Hamburg-based intralogistics specialist also takes care of the maintenance and repair of equipment from other manufacturers. "This gives our customers the benefit of a central and competent contact partner, even if they use a mixed fleet," explains Arrighi.

The results of the customer satisfaction analysis known as the Customer Satisfaction Index prove that Still really does live up to its high service standards. Throughout the year, Still conducts interviews with customers in 17 countries to find out how satisfied they are and to continuously improve its own range of services. In the past twelve months, Still interviewed over 18,500 customers on the subject of service. The result: a satisfaction rate of 93 percent.

www.still.de