Michael Drolshagen is a keen observer of Porsche customers. As the head of the aftersales department, he is very interested in what they experience after buying their cars. As an engineer, he sets superior standards. “Customer satisfaction is a matter of course,” he says. As far as he is concerned, that should be obvious—and simply the starting point for higher aspirations. He considers each customer relationship to be its own work in progress. And seeks to invest in making each one as individualized as possible—especially in this age of digital transformation.
At Porsche, this begins long before customers start up their engines for the first time. Three months before they collect their car, they receive a user-friendly app tailored precisely to the vehicle. If they want, they can check out the car’s functions beforehand. The personal consultation on the pick-up day is based on how they have used this digital version of their user’s manual thus far. What do they already know? What is relevant for them? “The app lets us pinpoint the needs of each customer,” explains Drolshagen. Developed by Porsche’s customer relations department, the app is already being used on a trial basis in the USA and will soon be rolled out worldwide.
Digitalization changes expectations
The app is just one element in an aftersales system that covers all the points of contact with Porsche customers. Together with experts from Porsche Consulting, Drolshagen and his team are working on expanding this system still further. The objective is to guide aftersales services for Porsche customers into the digital age throughout the world. With a premium on offering each Porsche driver precisely the right service that he or she desires. To do so, the company is drawing on the latest technical advances. “Digitization is everywhere,” says Drolshagen. “It is changing expectations such that we now assume everything will be connected. Whatever we’re talking about, we’re always thinking about the digital possibilities as well.” But anyone who assumes customer communications will soon take place solely on a virtual level would be mistaken.
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Photo: Porsche Consulting
