Image with cogwheels, pie chart, magnifying glass, people and a Customer Experience sign

Giving customers a voice

Dec 12, 2024

The Dürr Group has regularly surveyed customers and business partners about their experiences and satisfaction with the company for ten years. What began with random samples and individual studies has now developed into a Group-wide process and the central Customer Experience function. The aim: not only to meet customer expectations, but to exceed them.

Customer satisfaction is an important element of our corporate culture.

Dr. Jochen Weyrauch , CEO of Dürr AG

Milestones of Customer Experience: Click through our timeline

{ "events": [ { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "1995", "display_date": "Mid-90s" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "1995", "display_date": "Mid-90s" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "The beginnings", "text": "In the mid-1990s, Schenck, which later became a subsidiary of the Group, began randomly surveying customers about their experiences of working with the company. The aim of the telephone surveys is to increase customer loyalty and generate new orders. Similar initiatives have been in place at the Dürr Systems subgroup since 2005: In the USA, new and key customers in particular are asked about their satisfaction in personal interviews." }, "unique_id": 236 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2012", "display_date": "2012" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2012", "display_date": "2012" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Customer satisfaction increasingly important", "text": "Dürr Systems commissions an external study on the German automotive market to find out how customers perceive the company, the competition, and the market in general. Individual Dürr companies had already conducted similar studies. In order to standardize such individual initiatives, the topic of customer experience is to be approached systematically in the future. The project is called “Customer Excellence.” An important step, because customer satisfaction is becoming increasingly relevant." }, "unique_id": 237 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2013", "display_date": "2013" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2013", "display_date": "2013" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Indicator of customer satisfaction", "text": "A standardized process for customer experience is being developed. This includes a standardized approach to customer surveys and the introduction of the Dürr Promoter Score (DPS) as an indicator of customer satisfaction. At the same time, the majority of employees receive training in customer orientation. Dürr Systems rolls out the process at its largest locations in Germany, China, and the USA over the course of the year. Schenck also introduces the process." }, "unique_id": 238 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2014", "display_date": "2014" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2014", "display_date": "2014" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Request for feedback", "text": "The roll-out continues at Dürr Systems and Schenck. A systematic customer survey process is now being launched worldwide: Customers are regularly contacted by e-mail and asked for feedback. If any questions remain open, follow-up conversations are held between the customers and their respective direct customer experience contacts at Dürr Systems and Schenck." }, "unique_id": 239 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2019", "display_date": "2019" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2019", "display_date": "2019" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Award for outstanding commitment", "text": "HOMAG also starts to conduct regular customer surveys. Initially, these include surveys on satisfaction with the service hotline and spare parts service.
\r\n
\r\nIn 2019, the Heinz Dürr Award in the “Customer Experience” category is also presented for the first time. The prize is awarded annually to employees of the Dürr Group who have shown outstanding commitment to their customers. Most recently, the award went to a HOMAG team that had ensured the customer-oriented and ultimately on-time completion of a project that had initially been severely delayed." }, "unique_id": 240 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2020", "display_date": "2020" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2020", "display_date": "2020" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Central function in the Group", "text": "The Customer Experience department becomes a central function within the Group." }, "unique_id": 241 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2021", "display_date": "2021" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2021", "display_date": "2021" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Harmonized processes", "text": "Over the years, new companies have been added to the Dürr Group, while at the same time the company has grown ever closer together. Processes in the area of customer experience are also to
\r\nbe harmonized even more throughout the Group." }, "unique_id": 242 }, { "start_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2022", "display_date": "2022" }, "end_date": { "month": "11", "day": "30", "year": "2022", "display_date": "2022" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Better understanding", "text": "The Customer Experience team offers internal workshops for the first time. Employees from departments or companies can use them to understand their customers even better, identify further potential for improving products, processes and services, or prepare to tap into new markets." }, "unique_id": 243 }, { "start_date": { "month": "04", "day": "30", "year": "2024", "display_date": "2024" }, "end_date": { "month": "04", "day": "30", "year": "2024", "display_date": "2024" }, "media": "", "text": { "headline": "Impact on remuneration", "text": "For the first time, customer satisfaction is included in the remuneration of the Board of Management and other senior managers in the form of the DPS." }, "unique_id": 244 } ] }

Thank you very much for taking me seriously. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever participated in a survey that anyone actually cared about.

Customer Feedback

Taking the customer’s perspective

Head of Customer Experience, Markus Wagenmann, about the special workshop concept

Mr. Wagenmann, you and your team have been conducting internal workshops with departments from various areas and companies within the Dürr Group since 2022. What is the goal of these workshops?
Wagenmann: The workshop participants use a number of different methods to delve deeply into how they can support their customers even better. The aim is therefore to further enhance customer understanding. A workshop usually consists of several two-day sessions, with a two- to three-week break in between for preparation and follow-up.

What are the key topics of these workshops?
Wagenmann: Among other things, we look at the market environment and the customers’ business model. What drives them? What challenges are they facing? Ultimately, it is about being proactive in understanding the needs of customers today and in the future. We analyze what tasks the customer wants to perform and consider which product or service fully meets the requirements of this target group. This helps identify potential improvements for products, processes, and services. Ultimately, our goal is to formulate clear and precise value propositions that focus on the actual benefits for the customer. We also run through the customer journey – in other words, all the customers’ touchpoints with our company. Where do they have problems? Where does it make sense to develop new services? The goal is to create a concrete “roadmap” with specific measures that will benefit our customers.

Who within the Dürr Group conducts these workshops? Are they run by departments that have some catching up to do when it comes to understanding customers?
Wagenmann: (laughs) No, they are all dedicated people who know a lot about their business. Our workshops are suitable both for departments or companies that want to improve further and for areas seeking to deepen and expand their market knowledge. For example, we conducted the workshop with an international team from our relatively young battery coating technology segment.

What feedback have you received about your workshop concept?
Wagenmann: The feedback has been consistently positive! One participant said: “The workshop helped me take off my Dürr glasses and adopt the customer’s perspective instead.” It is precisely this shift in perspective that provides our employees with valuable insights to further enhance the customer relationship. And this benefits both sides.