Services: a remarkable year
Services enable us to both develop the group’s business and stand out from the competition. They are at the heart of our strategic vision, bring added value to our offer and transform it into a real customer experience. This approach was further enriched in 2022. We met Philippe Gault, Haulotte Services Director, and Patrick Murris, Europe & Africa Zone Director, to talk about it.
Services at Haulotte represent 350 people around the world dedicated to customer satisfaction. Each country has a contact center to collect customer requests… For example, the French center processes over 25,000 calls every year!
“The customer experience we offer is based on the involvement of our employees, who provide top-quality services and adapt to our customers. For example, we are able to train customers directly in their own language. This is also what makes us stand out, in addition to the product,” says Philippe Gault, Haulotte Services Director.
A strategic focus for 2025
Taking into account the total customer experience is part of what Haulotte is all about, as Patrick Murris, Europe & Africa Zone Director, tells us: “Continuing to develop the excellence of our services is a strong focus of our Ambition 2025.”.
On a daily basis, services enable us to support the customer throughout the life time of their machine. This leads to several activities:
- Sale of spare parts
- Machine maintenance with bespoke offers
- Repairs on-site or at an agency
- Warranty offers
- Training for technicians and users
The “digitization” of services should not be forgotten either, with MyHaulotte and, in particular, the SHERPAL offer. “Remote monitoring is a real added value for our service offer which we are going to continue to deploy,” adds Patrick Murris.
2022 an expanding offer!
2022 was marked by major advances within the Services business line. First came the launch of SMART, our long-term rental solution in France, Italy and Spain. This solution is totally unique on the market and relieves customers of the burden of servicing and maintaining their machines.
To make a difference, Haulotte also goes out into the field to meet customers. For example, when it comes to repairs, our teams are able to provide an initial response the day after the breakdown in most European countries as compared to the 5 to 10 days offered by our competitors. “This is extremely profitable for our customers, who benefit from a suggested solution the next day. For us, this means having a significant stock of spare parts and new management software. 95% of our parts are available the next day. This really is exceptional delivery service and logistics,” says Patrick Murris.
The past year saw the development of other initiatives, in particular for the sustainable development strategic focus. Services thus contribute to extending the machines’ life time through different offers: spare parts, second life and reconditioning. “Customers are now very sensitive to the environmental impact of equipment,” says Patrick Murris.
Yet more excellent prospects
In the interests of improving our customer experience still further, we are setting up our CRM solution. The teams will be able to provide customers with an even more efficient and more personalized service. As Philippe Gault explains, “CRM is the backbone of what we are going to do in the Services department over the next few years. This tool will help us to offer the best service.”.
Operational excellence also requires more fluidity. After increasing the number of technicians and developing their skills, the group now wants to innovate by offering remote maintenance. “During our initial contact, the customer will choose between a visit or a video-conference to save time. This will enable us to respond immediately to a request and to reduce our environmental impact still further,” Philippe Gault tells us.
With its top-quality service offer, the group is establishing a premium offer which sets it apart from the competition. This means creating a continuum of satisfaction for the customer right from the moment of purchase, with the aim of becoming their partner for the servicing and maintenance of their machine fleet.
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