Service makes the difference
How STILL stands out from other competitors providing a unique service performance
First class service is more than just an entrepreneurial matter of course to the Hamburg-based STILL GmbH. It is an important differentiating factor making STILL stand out from the competition as a leading provider of customised intralogistics solutions in saturated markets.
The acquisition of a new industrial truck, whether purchased, rented or leased, is usually completed in a matter of weeks, or days at best, whereas the subsequent use spans several years. Years during which trouble-free availability of the used fleet takes centre stage. Is good service just as important as the quality of the “hardware”? And does excellent service provide extra value to the customer, contributing significantly to the selection of a partner for internal logistics?
Service performance is crucial to the customer’s decision
For STILL GmbH the answer to this question is a clear “Yes”. "Our customers keep on telling us that our good service is one of the main reasons they choose us as their partner", explains Jacques Arrighi, Head of the Business Line Sales Applications & Services at STILL. His assessment is supported by the results of the latest market research conducted by a management consultancy in 2016. The outcome showed that the participating companies from eight European countries considered service provision and reliability as the most important criteria for the selection of a partner for internal logistics - even more than vehicle performance or price.
For Arrighi, the result comes as no surprise. After all, the investment in an industrial truck is a long-term acquisition: "The average service period of the majority of our trucks and warehouse equipment is ten years. To our customers, our service performance consequently constitutes a key factor in the guarantee of optimum availability for a decade", he states. No doubt: Trouble-free functionality of internal logistics is crucial for a company’s success amidst fierce competition. If the internal flow of goods comes to a halt, it will not only lead to financial damage, but also to dissatisfied customers, and competitors pulling ahead.
What to look for in good service provision
What characterises good service? For Arrighi there are three key factors: "Quality, competence and close customer relations", while he considers aspects such as availability and speed as subsections of quality. Another quality feature are the components used. More than 3,000 service technicians at STILL exclusively assemble patented STILL Original Parts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, if necessary. More than 51,000 original premium-quality components are permanently in stock at STILL’s largest spare parts centre in Hamburg. These can be delivered to the service technician within 24 hours, if necessary. Parts ordered by 4 pm within Europe will arrive on the service truck the next morning.
The engineers and technicians are a further hallmark, setting STILL apart from their competitors. “We invest substantially in goal-oriented, comprehensive training for our engineers and technicians”, explains Jacques Arrighi. “Instead of specialists for certain equipment classes, we rely on a multifaceted expertise. Many competitors shy away from these training expenses. However, we are convinced that the effort is worthwhile, and that the customer benefits from real added value as a consequence.”
Investing into competence pays off
This multifaceted competence allows STILL to provide permanent contact partners, instead of appointing new faces for each individual case to support the customers. This is very popular: "The service technicians are really familiar with the company. The technicians barely require any supervision, they know where the vehicles are, and operate independently”, says Mike-Werner Wentsch from Industrial Truck Management of MTU Maintenance Hannover about his experiences with the service staff at STILL. Furthermore, he praises their availability: "If one of our trucks breaks down and requires expeditious rectification, the STILL service staff will always arrive on site within two to three hours. It was not without reason that we defined STILL as standard for our company.” Additional competence benefit: Solutions can be found more quickly, if one is familiar with many equipment classes. The Warehouse Logistics Expert “L.I.T. Lager & Logistik” from Bremen has already turned many major challenges to the better this way: "We have had very good experiences with the competent service staff at STILL, who always find a solution, even under a lot of time pressure", praises the L.I.T. Project Manager for the facility in Bremen, Rolf Frerks.
Service for all
The fact that STILL takes excellent service provision very seriously also becomes evident through the fact that they do not limit their expertise to industrial trucks of their own brand. Under the slogan “Service4all”, the intralogistics specialist from Hamburg also provides maintenance and repair services for devices of other manufacturers. "So our customers can benefit from a central and competent contact partner, even if they choose to use a mixed fleet", explains Arrighi.
The results of the customer satisfaction index published in the customer satisfaction analysis are proof that STILL is in fact successful in meeting the high requirements with regard to service provision. Over the year, STILL has conducted interviews with customers in 17 countries to find out details about their satisfaction to further improve their own service range. During the past twelve months, STILL has interviewed more than 18,500 customers on the topic of service. Result: a satisfaction rate of 93 percent.
