Siemens 2011 Annual Report Download - page 66

20 Siemens – A pioneer of our time 50 Get closer to our customers 46 Focus on innovation-driven growth markets
51 Grow in emerging markets
52 Expand our service business
54 Intensify our customer focus
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f. Intensify our customer focus
Our customers expect comprehensive, single-source
consulting that’s geared to their particular needs. And
it’s our goal and our obligation to meet this expectation
everywhere in the world. For us, a strong customer fo-
cus doesn’t just mean having an in-depth understand-
ing of our customers’ unique requirements; it also
means providing them with customized solutions
adapted to their regional economic and regulatory envi-
ronments.
Successful customer support requires excellent employ-
ees, an efficient organization and effective methods.
Only if these three components are integrated to form a
single unit can we expand strategic partnerships, create
added value for our customers and achieve profitable
growth. That’s why our enduring and successful cus-
tomer relationships have certain features in common:
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First, continuity in structures and processes. We’ve
long had a reputation for outstanding customer prox-
imity. Our account representatives are committed to
providing our customers, most of whom are small to
mid-sized businesses, with direct local support world-
wide. In addition, more than , professional Key
Account Managers support our major customers in
important markets. We’re expanding this sales organi-
zation and optimizing it on an industry-specific basis.
For example, in connection with the establishment
of our Infrastructure & Cities Sector, we’re defining
additional market segments on which we intend to
maintain a special focus – markets in which we’ll
address our customers’ industry-specific require-
ments, offering them a coordinated, comprehensive
range of products, solutions and services.
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Second, one face to the customer. As a rule, our ac-
count representatives are directly involved with and
are responsible for a customer over a period of five to
ten years – further confirmation that our customers
are satisfied with the support we provide.
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And third, the creation and expansion of expertise.
We invest in the training and continuing education of
the Siemens employees who are in daily contact with
our customers. For instance, our sales personnel par-
ticipate in specially designed training programs in
which their strengths and weaknesses are analyzed
and improvement measures developed. Such courses
are a valuable tool for guaranteeing continuously high
standards of customer support worldwide.
In addition, we work closely with universities around
the globe, because scientific expertise is vital for cus-
tomer retention. Intensive collaboration with top-tier
institutions keeps us up-to-date on current research de-
velopments while enabling us to contribute our own
knowledge to academic discussions.
As we pursue our goal of continuously developing and
improving our Company, it’s crucial for us to know what
our customers really think about us. The results of our
global customer survey, which encompassed some
, interviews in fiscal , show developments
and concrete action areas for both our entire organiza-
tion and its various parts.
f