Kicking off in March 2010, Festo launches its Sales Interaction Department as a new element of its striving for excellence strategy.
The Festo Sales Interaction Department (SID), scheduled to start full operation on 15 March 2010, aligns Festo South Africa with the global Festo Integrated Business Platform (IBP) concept. The introduction of the SID is aimed at achieving improved efficiencies and quicker response times to customer enquiries.
The IBP concept, which includes a National SID, Automatic Fax Handling (E-Fax), E-Procurement Solutions (E-Business) and an Online Shop is currently revolutionising the manner in which orders are processed and service is delivered to the South African automation industry.
People first
According to Nico Landman, SID manager Festo South Africa, the department will provide automation industry clients with unrivalled service by employing sophisticated technologies which provide instant detailed client information coupled with highly qualified sales specialists.
“The only challenge Festo has encountered in this implementation, has been sourcing candidates with the competencies suited to the task at hand. To deliver outstanding service, we needed to secure employees who are not only qualified in engineering, but also come from diverse engineering backgrounds. This ensures that clients are able to speak to specialists relevant to their industries, expediting service delivery.
To establish the SID Festo has created eight new jobs. Successful candidates have undergone extensive hands-on training in all Festo departments and attended a plethora of training courses through Festo Didactic and other training facilities. “We are monitoring each candidate’s success in the training programme closely – to ensure that customers receive nothing but the best possible service,” enthuses Landman.
Technology leads the way
At the heart of the SID is the Festo SAP system, coupled to an advanced PABX, and a data/telephony operating system called Genesys. This delivers customer specific data to operators on each and every call. The system records the phone number of origin on every call that reaches the SID. Once the number has been added to the database, operators then tag with the appropriate company details and add in all relevant data, including account information, the nature of the query and transaction histories. The system enables operators to store data on specific personnel from various companies. This enables Festo to deliver support and services which are not only relevant to the company, but also to the individual calling.
“The technology and interfaces offered by Genesys have been in operation for a number of years; however this is the first time that it has been applied to the automation industry in South Africa. The Festo SID has adopted an 80/20 KPI, signifying that the target is 80% of all calls that reach the department must be answered in less than 20 seconds. Clients will never be answered with an automated answering machine followed up by an infuriating bout of button bashing,” says Landman.
Fax handling
Automatic fax handling (E-Fax) is another industry first. Faxes sent to Festo from any location are routed via the PABX to a local server. Incoming faxes are digitised and archived with a copy forwarded to a server at Festo headquarters in Germany. The local server matches the fax number to a customer, and sends both the digital copy of the fax, as well as the customer information to a queue where SID agents will process them on a first in, first out basis. This improves operational efficiency, and allows a paperless environment. The benefits to clients are expedited response and increased service levels.
The SID will also act as a telecommunications hub for Festo. Each call made to any of the eight Festo branch offices will first be routed through the SID. The mandate of the SID is to achieve first contact resolution, ie, handle and resolve most incoming calls in the SID eliminating the need to pass the call to any other branch or department. Routing all calls to Festo through this department also reduces the client’s phone bill as Festo carries all routing costs. Clients who call Festo for support will only be charged for a local call.
Workstations
Each SID specialist is equipped with a wireless headset which is capable of operating one hundred metres from its workstation. Festo has deployed these headsets to allow operators to freely consult relevant resources, including a reference library, or the Festo technical department. The goal is to enable as many queries as possible to be resolved on the first call.
Each SID workstation is equipped with the latest PC hardware, including two monitors to enable operators to view all relevant client information in conjunction with digital technical references. This allows the sales specialists to deal with all queries succinctly, with all pertinent information on hand. “We have put numerous measures in place to enhance our service offering and provide our clients with the most user-friendly experience possible,” says Landman.
Performance metrics
Festo has implemented a comprehensive metrics system to enable it to monitor the performance of each operator and ensure the highest levels of service possible, as well as enabling operators to monitor their own performance.
Digital wallboards have been located in the SID to allow staff to gauge their own performance and the overall departmental performance. The boards display realtime information on the current number and status of incoming calls, how many operators are currently available, the number of operators currently engaged with calls, and the number of operators currently performing after call follow-up work. This allows sales specialists to put aside after call work for quiet periods and deal with incoming calls in accordance with the 80/20 philosophy. The wallboards also display metrics on the level of service being provided by the SID and the current call waiting period.
Genesys supervisor tools allow Festo to accurately monitor the performance of each SID specialist, identify areas of improvement, and implement the appropriate training measures to ensure premium service delivery across the board.
Festo also tracks SID traffic trends. By tracking trends Festo is able to ensure that enough operators are available to handle calls during peak periods. It also allows the company to plan proactive initiatives which include follow up calls, targeted campaigns and value added service offerings. These outbound activities will further enhance customer relations.
The Festo SID will operate from 07:30 until 17:30 in the afternoon. This extra hour over the current office hours is to accommodate those customers starting earlier and those working later.
With over 75 years of industry experience coupled with a 36-year presence in South Africa and, extensive research and development capabilities, Festo continues to deliver cutting-edge motion and control solutions to industry. The Festo SID and the company’s IBP are evidence of the company’s continuing commitment to ensuring that clients receive industry leading automation solutions in conjunction with the highest standards of service delivery available.
“Festo will continue to find ways in which to improve its client’s experience of the company’s products and service,” concludes Landman.
For more information contact Joanne Dexter, Festo, +27 (0)11 971 5560, [email protected], www.festo.co.za
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