Intensify our customer focus
Our customers expect comprehensive, single-source consulting that’s geared to their particular needs. And it’s our goal and our obligation to meet this expectation everywhere in the world. For us, a strong customer focus doesn’t just mean having an in-depth understanding of our customers’ unique requirements; it also means providing them with customized solutions adapted to their regional economic and regulatory environments.
Successful customer support requires excellent employees, an efficient organization and, last but not least, effective methods. Only if these three components are integrated into a single unit can we expand strategic partnerships, create added value for our customers and achieve profitable growth. That’s why our enduring and successful customer relationships have certain features in common:
- First, continuity in structures and processes. We’ve long had a reputation for outstanding customer proximity. Our account representatives are committed to providing our customers, most of whom are small to mid-sized businesses, with direct local support worldwide. In addition, more than 1,200 professional Key Account Managers support our major customers in important markets. We’re expanding this sales organization and optimizing it on an industry-specific basis. For example, in connection with the establishment of our Infrastructure & Cities Sector, we’re defining additional market segments on which we intend to maintain a special focus – markets in which we’ll address our customers’ industry-specific requirements, offering them a coordinated, comprehensive range of products, solutions and services.
- Second, one face to the customer. As a rule, our account representatives are directly involved with and responsible for a customer over a period of five to ten years – which also confirms that our customers are satisfied with the support we provide.
- And third, the creation and expansion of expertise. We invest in the training and continuing education of the Siemens employees who are in daily contact with our customers. For instance, our sales personnel participate in specially designed training programs in which their strengths and weaknesses are analyzed and improvement measures developed. Such courses are a valuable tool for guaranteeing continuously high standards of customer support worldwide.
In addition, we work closely with universities around the globe, because scientific expertise is vital for customer retention. Intensive collaboration with top-tier institutions keeps us up-to-date on current research developments while enabling us to contribute our own knowledge to academic discussions.
As we pursue our goal of continuously developing and improving our Company, it’s crucial for us to know what our customers really think about us. The results of our global customer survey, which encompassed some 25,000 interviews in fiscal 2011, show developments and concrete action areas for both our entire organization and its various parts.
In 2011, our key account program was named Key Account Management Program of the Year by the Strategic Account Management Association of the U.S. As the award attests, we’re headed in the right direction. The jury was impressed by our fostering of long-term customer relationships, cultivation of promising account managers and close customer proximity at Managing Board level. As part of our Executive Relationship Program, the members of Siemens’ Managing Board maintain close contacts with some 100 top customers – an experience that not only gives them direct insights into concrete customer requirements but also provides opportunities for immediate feedback on their management decisions.