Just like in “real” life, it is also in business – a good relationship with the customer is the most important thing. If you are “in relationship” with the person on the phone, it is much easier to work more openly and sometimes more critically. It helps to look after your counterpart with a lot of professionalism and, above all, good humor.
Service of VOIGT+WIPP Engineers
As of fall 2021, I was allowed to take over the Service division in the CONENGA Group. The main focus is on providing the best possible support to my technical colleagues, coordinating the processes and the most important part for me: being the contact person for our customers. This undoubtedly includes understanding needs, having an open ear and – most importantly – being available: what’s the point of the best service if you spend hours on hold?
Deepening knowledge through personal contact
In order to maintain the relationship with my customers in the best possible way, it is also part of the process to regularly follow up and survey the status quo. Personal “face to face” contact makes a valuable contribution to successful cooperation through the possibility of non-verbal communication and strengthens trust. It is no coincidence that business topics or negotiations are often discussed over a meal.
With these facts in mind, I take the chance to deepen my knowledge as a non-technical person and to get a personal picture of things I didn’t know before. Now I know how a reciprocator looks like and a turbine works
On the road…
I was allowed to accompany my colleague David on a customer visit to beautiful Tyrol – to one of the most modern combined heat and power plants in Austria: the Kufstein biomass combined heat and power plant, which is a joint venture owned 50% each by Stadtwerke Kufstein GmbH and Tiroler Wasserkraft AG.
We were warmly welcomed there and I was given the opportunity to introduce myself in person and to see our customer’s work and factory with my own eyes. Christian Gugglberger and Walter Eisenmann (Managing Director Bioenergie Kufstein) gave me exciting insights into their heating plant.
Customer relationship does not stop at the completion of a project
What was the best part? To understand a bit of the customer’s daily work, to be allowed to briefly dive in, to discuss further projects and to “relate” to the customer. This is one of the most important characteristics for achieving progress in joint work in an efficient, targeted and appreciative manner. And in the best case, the customer relationship does not stop at the completion of a project, but goes far beyond!
My tips for relationship stories and service stuff:
- Open and honest communication
- Rapid response time
- Stay in contact
- Especially important: Good mood! :-)
Our existing service customers already know – do you? Feel free to contact me!
m.schwarz@conengagroup.com or +43 1 395 07 97 – 0