At a glance
Organization
Volkswagen AG
Industry
Automotive
Solution
Website
www.volkswagen.de
Road-side assistance at top level
No matter whether you run out of gas, get a flat tire, the battery is dead, or you have a breakdown or accident, immediate help is just a button push away. From self-service to interactive remote diagnostics and troubleshooting, the mobile service technicians, towing services or repairs in certified workshops – Volkswagen's mobility services coordinate assistance and deliver the right solutions on-demand, wherever needed. Over 3,000 automated decision trees map out all possible scenarios to support VW’s global assistance program which promotes their company image and increases customer loyalty with quality-assured individual solutions.
It is not only an obligation, but also part of our self-image to support customers quickly, effectively and individually in the event of a breakdown. Together with our long-standing technology partner USU, we have succeeded in implementing a knowledge-based system that meets the highest standards.
Daniel Beck, AUDI AG
About Volkswagen AG
The Volkswagen Group, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany, is one of the world's leading automakers and the largest carmaker in Europe. More than 670,000 employees around the globe produce vehicles, are involved in vehicle-related services or work in other business areas. The Volkswagen Group offers its vehicles in 153 countries. In the area of customer service, Volkswagen has relied on the expertise and technology of USU for decades.
Challenges
- Improve and accelerate customer roadside assistance support
- Integrate service processes into Salesforce
- Automated document translation to ensure immediate assistance in the customer’s language
- Ensure consistent and quality performance for simple and complex problems
- Increase customer loyalty via customer service and brand trust
Why USU?
- Comprehensive, integrated and demand-oriented solution offering for the digitization of knowledge-based services
- Expertise in the field of failure analysis and troubleshooting and record of successful customer projects in the automotive industry
- Many years of successful cooperation with Volkswagen and its subsidiaries in a variety of areas
- Flexibility and willingness of employees to provide service; close, direct and goal-oriented communication
Project Milestones
- Definition of requirements, development of a detailed technical concept, and editorial workshop
- Implementation of new knowledge management software including integration with Salesforce
- Development of comprehensive troubleshooting and diagnostic decision trees as well as information preparation by technical editors
- Successive expansion based on requirements and system optimization
Benefits
- Automated decision trees for complex errors, including ad-hoc translation of solution steps in nearly 25 languages
- Automated transfer of relevant vehicle data in case of emergency
- Rapid, quality-assured solutions to technical problems ensure 24/7 customer support globally
- Excellent service processes for roadside assistance improve brand image and increase customer loyalty
Digital service from person to person
Customer service for technical problems is a central component of Volkswagen's sophisticated service concept, which has been systematically expanded over the years. If worst comes to worst, customers expect fast, accurate assistance from a single source to keep them mobile in the event of an accident or breakdown. It is important that the human link in the service chain from the agent in the operations control center to the specialized Volkswagen mechanic works flawlessly though in many cases, remote assistance can enable drivers to get back on the road.
The central components of the roadside assistance service are an intelligent knowledge base and comprehensive, high-performance diagnostic tool. This automatically transfers the required vehicle data to the knowledge base and optimizes troubleshooting. Another requirement for rapid solution support is the seamless integration with Salesforceto combine customer, vehicle and support data. All of this is made possible by USU's technologies and the comprehensive concept developed jointly by USU and VW.
Automated decision trees as the basis for rapid breakdown assistance
In order to meet the high requirements and the demand for excellent service with country-specific content, dozens of languages and complex technology, an intensive conception phase was critical for success. A wide range of ideas had to be collected, evaluated, clustered and prioritized. For example, the system had be able to identify the vehicle by VIN number as well as send the error codes, transfering both to Salesforce. That data is combined and sent through the automated troubleshooting and solution process in USU‘s knowledge management software to identify the solution within seconds.
A particular challenge was the often very complex decision trees with more than 30 if-then branches, which had to be near instantaneous and accurate. An import/export interface was to translate the content in XML format automatically and ad hoc into the required language. Country specifics such as driving regulations are changed, checked and released via market approval editorial processes. In addition to this country-specific scaling, there were further adjustments such as the search function in the Asian countries.
After implementation, a number of additional customer requirements arose which were evaluated and successively implemented during regular online conferences and status meetings. Today, the system inspires all those involved in the process and has turned VW's roadside assistance into a global example of excellent customer service.
