Efficient customer care in after-sales and service management

In the B2B aftersales sector, customer needs are clearly characterised by efficiency, autonomy and personalisation. Today's decision-makers expect fast, transparent services that are available around the clock, regardless of business hours or personal contacts.

Digital customer portals with self-service capabilities allow customers to track orders, process returns, report service incidents or view individual quotes - all independently, centrally and at any time.

This autonomy not only increases customer satisfaction, but also reduces manual interactions on the company side. The result is process efficiency on both sides: while the customer quickly reaches his goal, the provider's sales and service costs and efforts are significantly reduced.

Personalised content can also be displayed using integrated data from ERP and CRM systems - from individual price lists to product recommendations. This makes the after-sales experience a value driver along the entire customer journey.

Digital customer portals that integrate asset and service management are becoming a strategic success factor - especially in the machine and plant engineering industry.

They bring together all relevant information about installed equipment, maintenance histories, spare parts and service processes on a single platform - available 24/7 and intuitive to use.

Customers can order spare parts directly from the portal, open service requests and schedule maintenance appointments based on real-time data from their machines. Predictive maintenance enables proactive intervention before breakdowns occur.

Companies benefit from more efficient processes, reduced service costs and a higher first-time fix rate. At the same time, new revenue opportunities are created through personalised service offerings and automated cross-selling and up-selling. Full transparency of asset history builds trust and increases customer satisfaction.

The digital portal not only frees up internal teams, but also turns service processes into a measurable competitive advantage. In a market environment where products are becoming increasingly interchangeable, B2B companies are differentiating themselves through digital service excellence - and positioning themselves as future-proof solution providers along the entire customer journey.

Spryker's B2B self-service portal solution enables companies to place orders, manage spare parts, request quotes and much more independently and 24/7.

Thanks to seamless integration with existing ERP and CRM systems, your customers always have access to the latest information on prices, delivery times and stock levels. Most importantly, it significantly reduces manual effort in order processing and office work by automating processes and minimising queries. This reduces error rates, speeds up processes and increases productivity.

Sales staff can use the newly gained capacity for strategic tasks such as targeted support for key accounts, cross-selling and up-selling activities or new customer acquisition. In this way, you can sustainably increase your sales efficiency and at the same time tap into additional revenue potential with a modern, user-friendly portal solution.

Meusburger, a leading manufacturer of high-precision standard parts, is committed to providing its customers with a seamless and personalized digital experience. Using composable commerce and headless approaches, a central platform was created to unify and seamlessly integrate all digital services. The result is a platform that delivers a unique, personalized experience. Three project highlights include

• Central Platform Integration: By merging the website and applications, Meusburger enables its users to access all information and services through one platform. This reduces complexity and provides a consistent user experience.

• Customized user experience: Seamless integration of public and private areas based on user permissions allows customers to receive customized services such as parts lists, watch lists, quotes, and more.

• Consolidated functionality in a single interface: Customers now have access to everything - from the website to the tool requirements shop to digital services and configurators - in a single, easy-to-use interface.

Pfeifer, a leading company in the wood industry, has optimized its digital services to create a platform that meets the specific needs of the industry. The result is a central platform that not only simplifies the ordering process, but also supports logistics and document management. Three highlights of the project include

• Order management: Pfeifer implemented an advanced order management system that allows customers to easily manage and track orders.

• Logistics functionalities: Advanced logistics capabilities allow customers to track the status of their shipments in real time and optimize loading schedules. This optimizes the supply chain, reduces process costs, and ensures on-time delivery.

• Document Management: An integrated document management system allows customers to manage all relevant documents - from order confirmations to invoices and delivery documents - in one place.

Efficient processes are crucial in the IT system landscape, but the requirements are complex and growing. With the help of system integration, different environments - such as ERP, CRM, PIM, payment and many other applications - can be connected and successfully managed.

System Integration Expertise: System integration enables seamless data exchange. For example, orders are automatically processed and inventory levels are synchronized. Our system integration toolbox includes powerful tools like Mulesoft, Lobster, Azure Data Factory and Talend.

API development expertise: Off-the-shelf solutions are often insufficient to meet complex business needs. That is why we develop custom software solutions that are tailored to your exact needs. Our expertise in API development and management allows us to build powerful interfaces using REST or GraphQL, among others. These solutions ensure seamless integration with your systems and data sources.

The OMR Masterclass 2023 on B2B E-Commerce followed companies at a crucial turning point: increasing customer demands for digital services and platforms require comprehensive digitalization. In addition, a shortage of skilled workers and increasing cost pressure make the automation of sales processes unavoidable. In short, B2B commerce is and will remain one of the "hot topics" in many companies!

Florian Wassel presented 10 use cases - from enterprise marketplaces to customer portals and order management - to show how B2B champions can adapt their complex data models and specialized business models to the digital, agile world. Topics such as service design, operating models, technology and change management were also discussed.