Global Saga Of Uster’s Servicemen Augmenting Brand Value By Providing Customer Satisfaction

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Global Saga Of Uster’s Servicemen Augmenting Brand Value By Providing Customer Satisfaction

The Swiss-based Uster group which is a leading global provider of high-technology products for quality measurement and certification for the textile industry has an interesting story to tell about their service professionals who silently operate behind the scenes and effect seamless outflow of technological know-how during their client visits.

They are a dedicated and experienced lot who keep the textile mills of Uster’s global clients running smoothly. They are swift in their response be it a phone call or a service visit. Uster’s customers avail of direct access to such experienced personnel at short notice.

The company in its recent media briefing narrated some interesting anecdotes from the diaries of its experienced service professionals positioned globally. The typical scenario unfolds as Mehmet’s phone rings. On the line is a mill manager. The manager voices his grievance: “I am worried about the performance of the Uster Jossi Vision Shield installed in our mill.” The entire problem is resolved within ten minutes on the call. Mehmet gives instructions to the mill manager on the line. A brief span of time later, the mill manager sounds a happy man. The mill manager reports, “Our cotton cleaning system is now readjusted based on your recommendations. It’s again performing as per expectations.” Mehmet turns his focus to waiting for the next client call having bagged a satisfied customer to his credit.

Mehmet is a service manager with Uster Technologies Turkey, and has been with the company for 11 years. He is just one of a global network of 125 people in Uster service centers covering China, India and South East Asia, Japan, Turkey and surrounding countries, and the Americas. An agency network with another 50-plus staff covers the rest of the world.

Just as with Mehmet’s mill manager in our example, all Uster customers have the direct number of their service contact – and can feel free to call any time with queries and problems. Usually, Uster service people can sort things out immediately, over the phone.

If the issue is more complex, the service team will plan a mill visit. “Based on the information we have, we will look at several possible options and pack the appropriate spare parts, so that our staff are fully prepared to avoid or minimize any downtime at the mill,” says Kris Suresh, Head of Service based at Uster headquarters in Switzerland. Uster offers service contracts with value added services and support, and these are well appreciated by customers, most of whom continue the service contract over the lifetime of the product.

Here’s an example of how Uster servicemen’s site visit operates. Prabakaran, based in Coimbatore, India, is another member of Uster’s service team. A typical day in his work schedule can be described in the following manner. He starts work at 5.30 am, driving to a customer located near Madurai – a journey of about three hours. Just two days prior to his mission, he was informed about a problem with variations in mic readings in the customer’s Uster HVI 1000.

At the mill, Prabakaran checks out some possible causes of the problem. He carries out gas regulator cleaning, adjusts chamber size and air settings and calibrates the mic module. He tests some reference samples himself and asks the customer to do the same. The values match closely, so Prabakaran hands over the Uster HVI 1000 again. The customer is very happy, and so is Prabakaran, who now writes his work bulletin, has a final discussion and handshake with the mill manager and departs, ready for a new mission on the next day.

This one-day snapshot of an Uster staff member’s work is typical for his average of 150 customer visits per year. This particular trip covered 400 kilometers. A monthly breakdown of all Uster service people’s journeys shows an average of 61,000 kilometers – equivalent to 1.5 times round the world. Total travelling time each month averages 4,600 hours, or more than 190 days and nights.

In fact, Uster reaches out beyond the client’s expectations to ensure smooth functioning. In other words it goes way beyond problem solving. Fixing an issue in a minimum of time is one of the three aspects. The Uster staff investigates the cause of the problem and discuss with the customer actions to prevent any similar occurrence. On-site they take some time to train operators to execute the tests optimally and to get the most out of their quality testing and monitoring equipment.

Senthil Kumar, general manager of service in Uster India, points out, “Customers like to take the chance to discuss application issues with us, and we are always glad to support by sharing our experiences. Often, what starts as a business connection grows to form strong bonds. Several Uster India Service staff members have more than 20 years’ experience. They have succeeded in building close working relationship over this period.”

“Ultimately, it’s not only the duration which will strengthen these relationships. It’s also a question of fulfilling, or exceeding, the customer’s expectations when an issue occurs. We would never say that a problem doesn’t concern us or that we could not take it on. We will try to find the source, no matter which machine might be the cause – and we will always listen and advise,” Senthil Kumar revealed, adding, “This attitude and commitment has brought respect and recognition from customers as characteristics which make the Uster Service team special.”

Finally, Uster’s emphasis on customer satisfaction is unparalleled. Uster carries out regular customer surveys, to gauge improvement potential. “I’m happy with the last survey result saying that 95% of customers rate their Uster service experience as all positive,” says Suresh. He attributes this to a circle of success. It starts with experienced staff – 8 out of 10 of worldwide staff have been with Uster more than 10 years, so they have the detailed know-how to support customers as efficiently and effectively as possible. Satisfaction breeds trust, and service staff members enjoy the appreciation they have from the customer side, creating a pleasant working atmosphere and encouraging them to stay with Uster, continuing the circle of success. “Customers are satisfied not only with the service but also because they rarely need the support of our service team. It generally takes years until a first issue with a new instrument occurs. This is also proven by statistics,” added Suresh.

The Uster service team also plays an important role in the company’s success. Trusted service enhances overall trust in the brand, a benefit acknowledged by Uster Technologies CEO Thomas Nasiou who opined, “Loyalty from customers has to be earned. Our Service team earns a relevant share of it. They are on duty 24/7 with a customer-focused approach and great commitment. It is not unusual for customers to tell us that they regard the standards achieved by Uster Service as the industry’s defining benchmark.”