Mercedes-Benz Presents Itself as a Competent After-Sales Partner
STUTTGART/FRANKFURT – September 16, 2008 : At the Automechanika trade fair from 16 to 21 September 2008, Mercedes-Benz will present innovative products, services and processes for the after-sales business. This year, the comprehensive range of services for both the dealer organisation and independent workshops will be presented under the motto “Success through professionalism and partnership”. For this purpose, Mercedes-Benz has turned the 1,500-square-metre Forum hall at Messe Frankfurt into a “real workshop”. Automechanika is the largest international trade fair for the global After-Sales market. According to Dr. Frank Reintjes, Head of Global Service & Parts Mercedes-Benz and smart: “Quality and customer satisfaction are at the heart of everything we do at Mercedes-Benz, and at this year’s Automechanika we will again be presenting numerous product innovations, services and workshop processes that will support our partners, providing them with new ways of offering our customers the very best service and support.” This year, Mercedes-Benz has already achieved excellent results in three large tests of workshops in Germany. Two tests in April – carried out by the AUTO BILD and AUTOZEITUNG magazines – as well as the German Automobile Association (ADAC) workshop test in August awarded top marks to Mercedes-Benz businesses. This is the result of a long-term quality improvement plan, intensive training programmes for workshop staff, regular internal quality checks and consistent efforts to further improve customer satisfaction. The result: the Mercedes-Benz star will also shine on your workshop visit!
Experiencing innovation in a real workshop setting
The central
elements of the Mercedes-Benz exhibition stand this year are
state-of-the-art workshop processes, new workshop systems and securing
competence in the service and parts business. Staff from the Mercedes-Benz
service organisation will give live demonstrations on exhibits, passenger
cars and vans, highlighting the factors that need to work in tandem in
order to ensure optimal service and support quality. They will guide trade
fair visitors through different diagnostic processes and repair jobs that
are part of everyday life in a workshop, giving the visitors the
opportunity to experience After-Sales processes up close in a typical
dealership setting.
SmallRepair: Small repair jobs now also for vans
The live
demonstrations will also include several small repairs jobs for vans, for
example on seats, bumpers and windscreens. Originally available for
passenger cars, the SmallRepairs will now also be available for vans.
Special repair methods provide affordable solutions to scratches, small
dents and stone chip or internal damage. Visitors will be able to observe
service staff as they seal nano paint and nano-wheels on passenger
cars.
New MoTelDis test adapter checks telephone and infotainment systems
A
further Mercedes-Benz innovation is the MoTelDis test adapter, which
enables service staff to check infotainment systems, vehicle components and
the customer’s mobile telephones. The tool can be used in conjunction
with the trusted Mercedes-Benz Star Diagnosis, and will allow service staff
to carry out simulations and tests either via a wireless connection or
directly connected to the car. It will improve the troubleshooting process,
e.g. isolate or exclude faults more easily, or identify a known fault
pattern. It can also update component software, which up until now would
had to have been exchanged.
“Digital Service Booklet” for all Mercedes-Benz passenger
cars throughout Europe
At the Automechanika, Mercedes-Benz will present the
“Digital Service Booklet” online system. Previously available
only for the E, CLS, SL and SLK-Class, on July 1, 2008 the proven
After-Sales service documentation was extended to all passenger car model
series in 35 European markets. The After-Sales system makes the
documentation of service and maintenance jobs even more secure and
convenient. The “Digital Service Booklet” replaces the
conventional Mercedes-Benz passenger car maintenance documentation, and
makes it possible to document all service jobs online. Mercedes-Benz
partners can now call up a complete overview of the service history and
vehicle data information on the computer screen in seconds.
Mercedes-Benz Contact: prompt assistance at the push of a button
The
new “Mercedes-Benz Contact” telematics service has been
available since the beginning of June. In the case of a breakdown, the
driver can now get assistance by pushing a button in the car which
establishes a direct telephone line to the Mercedes-Benz customer service
centre, ensuring faster breakdown assistance and answers to questions about
the vehicle – 24/7. What makes this service so special is the option
of having all relevant vehicle and positioning data sent to the
Mercedes-Benz customer service centre in advance. The Mercedes-Benz
representative will thus have to hand information such as the chassis
number, kilometre reading, a service code and – where there is a
navigation system – the vehicle’s position data before the call
has even begun, ensuring very quick response times, personalised service
and fast on-site assistance.
The new service can be used as soon as the mobile telephone has been connected to the hands-free kit of the radio. Mercedes-Benz Contact is saved as the first entry in the phone book, and dialling is thus quick and trouble-free. The service is free – customers pay only the cost of a call to the landline telephone number of the Mercedes-Benz customer centre, according to their mobile service plan.
A comprehensive range of parts and logistics services
In addition to
these innovations, the Automechanika 2008 will see presentations by
Mercedes-Benz on the following core topics:
Ready for the future, thanks to through professionalisation and
training
A competent and customer-focused service and parts business can be
achieved only with competent and service-oriented staff. To remain
competitive in a business that relies on state-of-the-art technologies and
deals with an extensive product portfolio, it is essential that
apprenticeships and advanced training are of the highest quality. At the
exhibition stand, there will be presentations by Global Training, the
Daimler AG department responsible for training specialist After-Sales
staff. These will focus on both content and methods used at seminars and
events that are aimed at securing the competencies needed in the
future.
Another focus will be on the Mercedes-Benz job profiles. Apprenticeships and training for workshop staff need to be adapted, particularly in light of the complex interaction between mechanics and electronics. Several job descriptions have been created to meet the new requirements, including certified service advisors, service receptionists, car body technicians, maintenance technicians, systems technicians and certified workshop diagnosis technicians, as well as parts process specialists in the Mercedes-Benz service logistics department. The job profiles are based on one another, creating a career path in the Mercedes-Benz After-Sales business.
A further presentation at the Automechanika will focus on the Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters, a training and motivation competition for Mercedes-Benz workshop staff around the world. The competition has proved a success and will be held for the fourth time this year. Since 2005, the Global TechMasters have made a significant contribution to skill development, motivation and the service attitude of workshop staff, and also highlight the appeal of technical service professions.