Volkswagen Group Australia
“To create lifetime owners and advocates for our products, we need to be there for customers at the right time with the right information. Salesforce helps us seamlessly deliver the experience our customers expect.”
100%
increase in contact centre agent productivity
Volkswagen Group Australia drives lifetime loyalty with Salesforce
Sometimes the best trail to success is slow and steady. That’s certainly been the case for Volkswagen Group Australia. Over the last three years it has been on a journey to improve 1% each day, making sustainable changes across its operations. “The idea is that everyone can improve a little each day, rather than everything happening in leaps and bounds,” said Jason Bradshaw, Chief Customer Officer at Volkswagen Group Australia.
Many of the small improvements have been supported by the company’s larger transformation on Salesforce. It has enabled smarter, more personal customer lifecycle management and an improved experience for customers, dealers and employees.
“To create lifetime owners and advocates for our products, we need to be there for customers at the right time with the right information,” said Bradshaw. “Salesforce helps us seamlessly deliver the experience our customers expect.”
Breaking down silos
Volkswagen Group Australia has 104 dealerships across the country as well as contact centres. Salesforce helps to ensure a consistent customer experience across all locations and touchpoints. It provides employees with shared data and efficient processes. It also provides analytics and intelligence to navigate customers to the right solutions.
“One of the reasons we chose Salesforce is that we didn’t want a traditional CRM where customer data was sitting in different silos. We wanted a connected platform to manage sales and service and extend to areas like social,” said Bradshaw. “It systematically makes things easier for team members and reduces bureaucracy so they can focus on customer needs.”
A new benchmark
In the past, customers would wait weeks for responses to calls and emails, whether they had a complex issue or they simply wanted a brochure. The lack of process was a key issue which Service Cloud has resolved. Now, all requests are funneled through one system and there are mandatory steps to resolution.
Productivity of agents has improved 100% and 85% of cases are responded to within 24 hours. Also, Volkswagen Group Australia is now benchmarked amongst the company’s the top three globally in relation to service, having previously been ranked towards the bottom.
“Our agents are able to work much more efficiently today, and that will only be enhanced by Einstein,” said Bradshaw. “We’ll be able to apply deep learning to resolve issues faster and give agents more time to connect with customers 1:1.”
Of course, it is not only the contact centres at the frontline of service. Volkswagen Group Australia’s dealer network plays a pivotal role in the customer journey. Salesforce supports both groups to deliver a more connected experience, starting when a customer goes online to request a test drive or walks into a dealership.
“We’re not flying blind anymore and can see in real-time if the customer has completed their test drive or followed through with a purchase,” said Bradshaw. “We can then tailor our communications and support them more personally.”
Communications are powered by Marketing Cloud and include a series of touchpoints to build customer loyalty and knowledge. The 1:1 communications may include notification that a vehicle has been shipped or is ready for pick-up. Others may include hints and tips related to features or safety.
AI and the future of sales and service
A new portal for dealers built on Community Cloud underpins further collaboration on sales and service, and makes life easier for dealers. They can log on to the community to ask questions and get a fast, automated response. They can also track the status of requests in real-time rather than following up by phone.
Volkswagen Australia Group is starting to ramp up its use of Community Cloud for customer communications as well. This will help customers surface answers to common questions and better leverage the features and benefits that come with their vehicles.
Applying Einstein Analytics to a new performance dashboard will deliver added intelligence to sales and improve service even further. Management will be able to click on a dealership or vehicle type and instantly see how it’s performing. Automated alerts powered by Einstein Analytics will identify when KPIs are at risk and drive intervention.
“We ask ourselves three questions before each project: will it help our customers, dealers or employees be more successful; will it make things easier; and will it help us get out from behind bureaucracy and connect with our customers. The answer to everything we’re doing with Salesforce is yes,” said Bradshaw.
Keep exploring stories like this one.
Bittn uplifts service and revenue using Salesforce
BizCover automates engagement and support for 200,000 small business customers
Canva takes on the enterprise using Salesforce
Questions? We’ll put you on the right path.
Ask about Salesforce products, pricing, implementation, or anything else — our highly trained reps are standing by, ready to help.
