en 
Source: iStock.com/http://www.fotogestoeber.de
CHIP seal of approval for Gigaset’s customer support
30. April 2020 Published by Raphael DoerrThe prestigious technology magazine CHIP recently named the best customer service organizations of well-known vendors in Germany. Gigaset was given a total score of 95%, making it one of the best manufacturers of telecommunications equipment when it comes to offering outstanding service and support for customers. The company was ranked second overall, ahead of vendors such as Apple, Telekom and Sony.
CHIP is one of Germany’s most-trusted e-commerce magazines and has conducted independent product tests since 1978. In its latest “Leading Support Brand Test”, CHIP collaborated with Globis Consulting, a consulting and market research firm specializing in customer service, to examine the online customer service offerings of more than 400 top vendors from 10 sectors in the German electronics market.
Gigaset’s service offering
Gigaset’s service offering comprises three core components to ensure ideal customer support: the support homepage, Call Center and Repair Center.
The Internet is often the first place customers turn to if they’re looking for help. On the web page of its service unit, Gigaset has set up an extensive collection of FAQs and short comments on all its products in addition to the service phone numbers and contact forms. The most frequently asked questions can be found and answered there right away. That means customers do not always have to call the service hotline. Moreover, software, the compatibility database and various user guides can be found on and downloaded from the web page.
The second component of Gigaset’s service offering is the Call Center. It has staff who speak just about every language and can provide immediate answers to many questions and smaller problems, as well as initiate any necessary repairs. The Call Center has also offered advice on buying products for a long time now. Gigaset regularly reviews the quality of its own service offering and conducts tests. “All Gigaset Services employees also undergo intensive training, which helps us offer an outstanding service. We’re very satisfied with the consistently high performance of our Call Center staff, especially now in the coronavirus crisis,” emphasizes Kurt Aretz, SVP Quality.
The final component is Gigaset’s large Repair Center. It is located directly on the grounds of the factors in Bocholt, where Gigaset has its headquarters. There are likewise smaller workshops in other sale countries, where devices can be repaired locally. That helps Gigaset in its goal to try and repair faulty devices and send them back to the customer within one day.
“We believe it’s very important for our team to offer quick repair times,” states Kurt Aretz, adding: “Repair work is a vital aspect for us. Customers needn’t fear losing the data on their device, while we save precious resources and protect the environment. Repairing is always better than replacing – that’s our maxim.” Allowing for customary delivery times, that means customers only have to do without their devices for a few days.
An important accolade
“I’m very proud that the service has captured second place in the CHIP ranking. Quality has always had top priority for us, which is why quality assurance during product development and customer service are combined in one department at Gigaset. That enables us to track every development and all feedback right away and so keep on improving the quality of the products we create as part of a continuous improvement process,” adds Kurt Aretz.
The methodology used in the test
The service offerings from Germany’s top vendors were all subjected to the same methodology in the test, which examined the support they offered customers in terms of product information, updates, advice, sourcing, support options and mobile access.
CHIP’s brand test looked at whether vendors provide their customers with product information, such as means of searching for products, technical data and user guides. That criterion made up 27% of the total score.
An important factor was also for customers to be provided with available updates and that these were clearly indicated. That accounted for up to 7% of the total score for a vendor, while online advice for customers in choosing and using a product and support in the event of defects made up 16%.
Customers also had to be given details of sources, such as an insightful list of bricks-and-mortar and online retailers. That accounted for 6% of the total score.
A further important element, making up 37% of the total, were the support options provided to customers: There should be adequate means of contacting the vendor and visible support on the subjects of warranties, guaranties, repairs and spare parts.
Those offerings had to be easy to use on mobile devices, an issue that made up 14% of the total score.
These individual criteria were analyzed and used to compute the overall result for each of the vendors. In CHIP’s brand test, only vendors with a final score better than 70% were rated a company that offers leading support, in other words, vendors that offer their customers exceptional support as part of their online service.
Comments
