SIP statistics

Anja Jurko, Alja Šlogar

SIP statistics SIP education of traders and service technicians – before, during and after the epidemic

Until the beginning of 2020, we regularly conducted education for our partners. This has not changed with the epidemic. Only the working method has changed.

A good educational support service is the key to quality, fast and effective support for our customers.

The topics we cover in training sessions are:

- Correct composition of the machinery, - Correct connection and adjustment of the machine for safe work, - Service and maintenance basics, - Warranty procedures

Christian Hähni from MTI Canada attended the training for the first time and passed both levels (Master 1 and Master 2). Most of all, he remembered the fact that before we start processing the sheet metal, it is left in the production hall at a constant temperature for two days, and only then is it processed further. This ensures a uniform temperature for the material and eliminates the possibility of breaking the sheet while the machine is being used.

At the beginning of last year, SIP held distance education for domestic and foreign authorised SIP service technicians. Given the positive responses in the past, during the epidemic we spent more time preparing material that will enable quality education conducted live or even at a distance. The purpose of the school is to provide professional already trained staff with comprehensive technical support. We talked to the customer support manager at SIP, Benjamin Žgank, who is in charge of the implementation of training sessions, among other things.

At SIP, we provide first and second level (Master 1 and Master 2) and the Special level technical training. In the first two stages, we familiarise the participants with all the details of the criteria for claiming the 3-year guarantee we offer users. The training programmes last two days, and the participants are recognised with a certificate with which they obtain the status of an authorised SIP service technician for starting machines and for maintaining and extending the three-year warranty.

As with the sales programme, we also divide levels of education into three groups – Alp, Robust and HD. Thus, with Master 1, we focus on understanding the composition of machines, tractor attachments, starting and servicing for the Alps Group. In Master 2, we pay attention to the Robust Group. The main topic is to complete all points of the 3-year warranty. The Special educational programme is carried out in pre-agreed groups, where we focus on the machines from the HD group.

“Technical education is important for ensuring the transfer of expertise to service technicians and sellers. These skills can then provide support to their users on a daily basis and thus provide them with a better user experience,” stresses Benjamin. In 2020, we trained 239 participants In 2020, the training took place only in February, and was attended by 239 dealers and mainly service technicians from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Ireland. The training of the French partners took place in France.

Csongor Korta, Agrotec, Czech Republic “We got really detailed information to help us understand the operation of the SIP machines and how specific interventions need to be performed.”

After-sales team “remotely” Good after-sales service is a key competitive advantage of our company on the domestic and foreign markets. The more we engage in the segment of professional operators, the greater the need to professionalise the after-sales service.

Fast reaction is part of our team's everyday life. Adapting to the current situation as a result of the epidemic is a unique response, as there is practically no field work. All support is provided remotely, via digital tools, telephone calls, e-mails. Our after sales team has entrusted us with the workflow during the epidemic, what problems and obstacles they encounter on a daily basis, how they solve them, and, of course, what the responses of the parties are.

WhatsApp, Skype, ... Covid impacts the work in the aftermarket mainly through its limitation of movement within and out of the country, as the teams are unable to travel to carry out checks on machines, commissioning, service, and training. With the release of borders, this will gradually change again. Currently, support is intensive through WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Facetime, traditional phone calls and emails. By using a video call, the user follows the instructions of our support team directly on the machine, step by step.

Most problems can be solved when it comes to machine settings or frequently encountered problems. A bigger challenge arises for everyone when it is necessary to guide the user through the machine repair process. Abroad, the team tries to use the help of authorised service technicians and offer them remote support as well. Service in Slovenia runs more smoothly, directly from the company or through service partners who adhere to all the recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health. In the event that the knowledge of the contract service technicians is not sufficient, the SIP team also comes to the aid on the ground.

This time is also used by the team to further prepare more in-depth materials for training sessions which are scheduled for March and April. Implementation will depend on the measures that apply then. There are, of course, two scenarios in preparation, the so-called Plan A (face-toface training) and Plan B, which is, of course, distance learning.

The challenges of the after-sales team change from year to year, as the range and complexity of machines and the increase in the sales structure around the world change.

In particular, customers of SIP machines want and expect responsive support throughout the life of the machine.

In fact, the crisis requires adaptation to the situation. Good communication and understanding are key to good knowledge transfer.

Customer responses are positive due to our responsiveness, but everybody is missing personal contact.

The biggest challenges For the first time, many of our customers are intensively facing communication through digital communication platforms, so sometimes it’s a little difficult at first. At the beginning, the team talks to the client about the possibility of communication via video call or other visual communication programs. If necessary, they also assist with the setting up of this equipment.

Despite the good equipment, one of the major obstacles in teleworking is the second type of communication noise, which occurs when communication is difficult due to knowledge of the languages in which we describe the solution to the problem. However, traditional phone calls take the most time when it is not possible to have a video call with the user, as some things are difficult to explain without the customer actually seeing the work process. Last but not least, the challenge is also the time needed to carry out after-sales activities at a distance. Although the team may seem to have more time to work because they are not on the go, this is not necessarily the case. It turns out that solving problems remotely takes more time than working in the field.

Taking all measures into account, we successfully carried out technical training of partners in France. The training was attended by 70 service technicians and sellers at 4 dealerships.