Mercedes-Benz: Benchmarking and Corporate Strategy

Overview

To create the highest standards of service at its customer assistance centers, Mercedes-Benz, one of the world's leading producers of luxury cars and light and medium-weight trucks, turned to Accenture to help benchmark performance and create a corporate strategy for developing new capabilities.

Business Challenge

Mercedes-Benz needed to create the highest standards of service at its customer assistance centers and fend off increased competition in Europe. The company turned to Accenture to help benchmark performance and create a corporate strategy for developing new capabilities.

How We Helped

Accenture started by benchmarking the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Centers (MBCAC) against similar organizations at eight of Mercedes' competitors. This benchmarking included the evaluation of 179 call center key performance indicators (KPIs), the assessment of processes including cost/price ratios, and the investigation of identified gaps and corresponding required actions.

The improved understanding of the client's competitive environment informed the development of a corporate strategy aimed at developing customer service innovations.

High Performance Delivered

The project yielded precise information regarding the client's relative competitive position in the areas of price, efficiency, quality and other dimensions. The project team was then able to define a goal-oriented strategy based on these results.

The strategy helped Mercedes-Benz identify future improvements that will increase efficiency in the company's internal processes. It will also boost the development of new capabilities, significantly increasing the company's competitiveness in the marketplace.

According to Sönke Weichenthal, managing director of MBCAC: "Collaboration with Accenture's competent team was proactive and highly effective from the very beginning, leading to very satisfying business results."