Background
Our client Nimax Spa is the Italian leader in marking, coding, and tracking solutions and in inspection, controlling, and labelling systems. Due to its customer-centric orientation, Nimax has decided to offer distinctive and differentiating service solutions in addition to their products. OPTA was assigned to implement a digital servitisation strategy in the after-sales department, by focusing on the technology and innovation behind its processes.
Approach
The project aimed at consolidating seven essential pillars of the service strategy: 1. Maximising customer’s trust; 2. Non-conformity analysis of processes; 3. Industrial trend analysis; 4. Product and competition strategies; 5. Priority management through technology and innovation; 6. Focus on the technical assistance team; 7. Development of tools and Corporate Image.
To achieve these goals, OPTA applied a specific methodology, intervening in three main areas. The first area was the definition of priorities related to the requests for interventions, by selecting a criteria to identify the urgent requests and classify them in order of importance, keeping an optimal balance between frequency, strategic importance, effectiveness, and simplification. The second one was the construction of a priority calculation model, by assigning a proper weight to selected drivers. In this phase it was necessary to distinguish between drivers guiding the assignment of priority levels (which requests would be fulfilled first) and those guiding intervention scheduling. The last intervention area was the resource scheduling, in which interventions were set up over time with resources allocation, managing real time information and considering workers’ skills, route optimisation (geolocation), definition of standard intervention times, and availability of resources.
Outcome
The benefits of the work carried out were visible even in the first three months after the project conclusion and were registered as 50% reduction in customer response time, 33% reduction in time spent on interventions at the customer, and 25% inventory reduction related to spare parts provided by technicians. In addition, external communication has improved, always keeping the customer informed about the progress of his request for intervention, as well as internal information exchange, having the technicians sharing their calendars with the aim of improving the organisation and the services offered.
To conclude, the development of the after-sales service in a smart service perspective is allowing Nimax to fulfill the promises made to the customer and to guarantee an adequate level of service, but also to increase its services offered, both in terms of quantity and quality, improving the relationship with the customer and enhancing their loyalty to the company.