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For more information, contact:
Yiota Andreou
yiotaa @marcusevanscy.com

How can customer care processes help to increase customer and employee satisfaction?

One critical pillar of Customer Care is information. We need to identify the pieces of information which our customers need for their normal operation (i.e order/shipping/receiving status, quote/invoicing data, logistics documents, etc.) and it’s an absolute must to proactively feed the customers with such critical information. There needs to be a super-solid process around information flow. This sounds common sense, however the quality of the information is just as important for customer satisfaction. This is often outside of the customer facing team’s control; let’s just mention the manufacturing of high-tech non standard products, where the scope might be shaping till the very end of the manufacturing process.

Therefore, it has to be a common mission of the entire Supply Chain organization to keep customer critical information the most accurate and there needs to be a robust process for such information flowing down to the customer and the customer facing team.

How can customer service be aligned to a customer portfolio with high diversity?

Customer service not only has to consider industry standards but also the specific needs of the actual customer portfolio. When a customer picks up the phone to report an issue, it’s already a frustration itself. Each business needs to make sure that already the first interaction is adding value and the customer query gets an action right away. This concept will have a different meaning for every industry, but for businesses with highly custom products of significant value it translates to front line customer service people, who are knowledgeable about the industry, have a decent 360 degree view on the customer account at corporate level, are skilled enough to capture the ‘big picture’ even for small matters and are entitled with decision making authority. If all that comes together, customer service can be the ‘super-power’ for the company.

Nowadays, everything is about quick resolution, this means there needs to be a deliberate internal escalation process for customer service to make sure customer queries end up in the hands of the most suitable person and proper attention is given.

What technologies are available for the automation of the process?

When working with customers, communication is key and we need to smooth out the path of information as much as we can. It’s very handy to utilize the company ERP system as much as possible. Furthermore some industries have their own platforms linking customers with suppliers – nearly every company can take advantage of the existing infrastructure of these platforms with relatively low investment.

Could you please elaborate on the challenges of dealing with Change Management in O2C Process Organisation Context?

Huge cliché but in the 21st century nothing is more steady than change. Above a certain company size, solid processes are essential for the operation, but we can’t afford our processes to be our own enemy. We need to be able to react quickly, as if all decision making parties were sitting in the same room and had the ability to conclude on the spot. Also we shouldn’t re-invent the wheel, meaning if a solution has already been found for a particular issue at any point of the world, we need to turn it into our benefit.

Companies need to capitalize on the digital world and build up an infrastructure which allows access to their global knowledge base to all participants.

What would you like to achieve by attending the 15th Annual EMEA Customer Experience and Order to Cash conference?

My professional experience is from manufacturing industries, i.e. Power & Aviation. I’m looking forward to hearing what others do differently in similar fields, curious to find out what challenges others face and how they overcome them. Last but not least I’m hoping that my case study serves as ‘food for thought’ for the attendees and contributes to their future success.

Ahead of the 15th annual EMEA Customer Experience and Order to Cash, read here an interview with Mrs Edit Valentinyi, Former Customer Order and Fulfillment Manager about Customer Care, Experience and Order to Cash

Practical Insights From:

Edit Valentinyi

Customer Order and Fulfillment Manager,GE Aviation, Hungary
Chris Glanvill

Head of Customer Administration – EMEA, Thomson Reuters, UK
Philipp Lutzny

Senior Director Global Order Fulfillment and Supply Chain Management, ADVA Optical Networking SE, Germany
Ulli Kahle-Roth

Customer Service and Supply Chain Director EMEA, A. Schulman Europe GmbH & Co KG, Switzerland

About the conference:

This marcus evans event offers a unique opportunity and a great discussion platform for senior level management representatives to benchmark, share experiences and find solutions to their key tasks such as great customer experience, increased digitalization, the journey toward the true E2E O2C from planning to fulfilment and order management best practices. One of the workshops will be devoted to overcoming change management challenges related to O2C transformation. Other important areas covered will include key customer master data and dispute management project. The 15th annual EMEA Customer Experience and Order to Cash Conference will take place from the 15th until the 16th of September 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic.

Previous Attendees Include

Mondelez
DSM
DIAGEO
Medtronic
ABB
Boehringer- Ingelheim
Bayer Euroservices
Philip Morris Intl
Shell
Fiat Services
SAP AG
Capgemini
Ecolab
AkzoNobel

About the speaker:

Edit Valentinyi has been in front line customer facing roles for more than 10 years. She gained exposure to global accounts while working as a commercial bid manager in the Power industry. Lately, after her move to the customer order fulfillment manager function with GE Aviation, she learnt that the contract signature & order booking is not the end, but rather the beginning of ‘real life’.

Despite of the continuous daily challenges of the O2C sector, what keeps Edit close to customers is her strong belief at win-win. Her engineering background is always something she can take advantage of when there is a need to go back to the basics. No matter it’s about keeping focus at the solution instead of the problem or understanding a new product.

Customer Care, Experience and Order to Cash

An interview with GE Aviation

Edit Valentinyi, Former Customer Order and Fulfillment Manager