Customer service priorities: Bye-bye silos, hello growth
Delivering the stellar service that protects a brand, increases customer lifetime value, and supports new business models requires a new approach.
In today’s competitive automotive market, the customer experience doesn’t end when a car is sold – it goes far beyond. One of the key elements that sets a company apart from its competitors is the quality of its after sales service.
In the global automotive aftermarket industry, the importance of services provided to customers after they purchase a vehicle cannot be understated: they play a critical role in boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket is a good example of this trend. The global business, part of Bosch’s overall product offering, modernized its customer service in order to provide a top-flight after sales experience.
Improving after sales service: The journey begins
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket provides aftermarket and repair shops worldwide with modern diagnostic and repair shop equipment and a wide range of spare parts. Repair shop technology and repair services are important parts of Bosch’s portfolio, and workshops rely on smooth and efficient after sales services to help them keep vehicles performing at their best.
Before embarking on its modernization effort, the company faced some customer service challenges:
- With multiple portals used for ordering different services, and data held in numerous, siloed databases, it was hard to manage and track contact center operations effectively.
- It also was difficult for service agents to get an overview of customer requests.
Without readily accessible customer information, it was hard for agents to deliver efficient service and fast resolutions.
Bosch Automotive Aftermarket wanted to streamline customer service processes, which required consolidating after market services information into a single solution.
Integrated, modern service operations
With its existing SAP software environment a key factor, Bosch Automotive Aftermarket decided to modernize their customer service with SAP Service Cloud. The ability to integrate customer service management with its back-end ERP processes was a top consideration for the company because it would support smooth and efficient end-to-end service operations.
SAP Service Cloud provides the company with rich customer service and contract management functionality, enabling service agents to manage and record orders and inquiries from customers who call the company’s contact center. The software replaces several different ticketing systems, and also is connected to a new customer portal developed by Bosch.
This means that service agents can access details of orders processed by agents directly in SAP Service Cloud, and also view self-service customer interactions made through the portal – all in one place.
Integration between SAP Service Cloud and SAP ERP supports seamless billing and logistics processes and equips service agents with visibility into order and shipping status.
Plus, the ability to connect to third-party distance calculation and carrier systems from within the software means that agents don’t have to log in to multiple screens in order to complete tasks.
Benefits of Bosch’s service modernization include:
- Streamlining work processes for agents and saving them time, which helps them focus on providing great CX.
- Having one trusted source of customer service data ensures everyone is using the latest and most accurate information
- Better visibility improves service management. For example, managers can easily track ticket status and spot overdue tickets.
Service, meet your brand savior.
Start a free trial of SAP Service Cloud HERE.
After sales service in a changing industry
The automotive aftermarket industry is changing fast as a variety of trends upend traditional business models.
The rise of e-commerce has redefined retail models, while a growing focus on sustainable and eco-friendly practices is reshaping the types of products and services customers demand. Electric vehicles are transforming the automotive aftermarket industry in a fundamental way.
Investing in efficient, reliable customer service is a smart move that will help organizations thrive as they adapt to all these changes.
