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Understanding the needs ofour customers is central to thesustainability of our business.
Customer care is a journey of continuous improvement. We
are constantly upgrading our expertise through internal andexternal training to ensure we speak the language of specifiers
and installers fluently.
The needs of the construction industry are becoming increasingly
sophisticated and it is vital that we understand what information
our customers require when it comes to sustainability issues
such as Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), Environmental ProductDeclarations (EPDs) and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Customers are also increasingly demanding technical input on
subjects such as building physics which covers key topics suchas acoustics or fire resistance and a better understanding oftechnical performance.
Thirdly, understanding how our systems and products can make lifeeasier and more effective for our customers is a core characteristicof many of our training sessions. It is not enough to simply
understand a product’s unique benefit, it is vital that our customers
understand how to maximise its performance.
Finally, it is critical that our colleagues understand the challenges
facing our customers and are empowered to find the solutions thatprovide long-term support.
Here’s what we have learned so far from our Customer
Excellence Programme.

TELYUKOV DENIS,SUSANNA FARNES,

What training sessions
did you organise?

What training sessions
did you organise?

We have carried out a wide
range of training for sales teams
in Russia to improve theirknowledge of our products
and how to substantiate theirperformance. There has also
been a seminar on pitched roofs
as well as external training tofine-tune sales presentation.

We organised training inSpain for the Spanish andItalian technical and specifier
teams with a focus on theimportance of sustainability
as a critical trend and key
benefit of our solutions.

What are the benefits of thistraining for our customers?

Our teams have a vastly
improved insight into Green
Building Rating System
topics that are important toour customers and are able
to provide more effective
solutions and support.

NATIONAL RETAIL & DIY LEADER,SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

They receive expert advice
about the right insulation
products for the right job –24 hours a day, seven days aweek – supported by a specialist
who understands the demandsof their business.

How has the training madea difference?

What are the benefits of thistraining for our customers?

How has this training madea difference?
Our sales teams are even more
confident. They can offer more
support to our customers andtalk in detail about subjects
such as EPDs, LCAs and specificgreen building areas of interest
which means they have a lot tooffer specifiers and architects.

For our colleagues, the training
has been an important KPIaccomplishment and we havebeen able to confirm theircore competences. For ourcustomers there has been agreater level of satisfaction.

38 19

MARKETING MANAGER FOR
THE MEDITERRANEAN AREA

In 2016
wecarriedout

different types ofCustomer
Excellence
trainingincountries

STIJN THIELEN, MARKETINGSTEVE DUKE, COMMERCIAL

What training sessions
did you organise?

What training sessions
did you organise?

We have conducted talk-track
training for our new innovative
Mineral Wool MW35 solution.
Talk-track allows ourcolleagues to understand thebenefits of our innovationsand enable them to present
them effectively to potential
customers.

The UK sales teams haveundergone customer
engagement training which
is delivered in two stages, twomonths apart, to enable ourcolleagues to use their new
skills and review them at thesecond session.

MANAGER, THE NETHERLANDS

What are the benefits of thistraining for our customers?
What is most important isthat our colleagues can bettersupport customers because
they can clarify needs andadvise customers on the rightsolution during a relaxed but
informed conversation.

How has the training madea difference?
MW35 is a great success in The
Netherlands. I’m sure training
was a major contributing factor.

DIRECTOR, UNITED KINGDOM

What are the benefits of thistraining for our customers?
The course focuses on helping
us better understand ourcustomers’ needs. It also helps
focus attention on areas thathave value for them such astechnical support, specification
activity, product attributes,
supply chain, security and soon. Often we tend to take these
aspects for granted when theyshould be highlighted as often
as possible.

How has the training madea difference?
The training process has juststarted but those who haveattended have come away
inspired and determined tostart driving a shift in the way
we engage with our customers.

47

MARKUS ELSPERGER,
MARKETING DIRECTORFOR KNAUF INSULATION,
CENTRAL EUROPE

What training sessions
did you organise?
We carried out training for thewhole sales team in Germany
in 2016 and training will takeplace in Austria in 2017. At
every meeting our focus is ontechnical sections which also
includes technical training forthe sales team. Four times ayear we give new employees
general product training.

What are the benefits of thistraining for our customers?
We carried out a customer
satisfaction survey in December
2016 and our customers
confirmed that we have themost knowledgeable technicalsupport in the market.

How has the training madea difference?
We see the training paying
dividends particularly atconstruction sites wherecustomers may have a specifictechnical issue that they needto resolve.

112
days

over

112

different local

training
sessions over

PRODUCTS & BUILDINGSSUSTAINABILITY MANAGER

What training sessions
did you organise?
In Germany, we arranged
trainings in ETICS and for flat
roofs. In Italy and Spain, ‘train
the trainer’ involved giving
training to those who can sharethe information with colleagues
as well as training customised
to dedicated markets. For
example, we compared EPDs
and their impact related
to specific markets andapplications. They were highly
dynamic sessions.

What are the benefits of thistraining for our customers?
It really helps our colleagues
understand their market andtake advantage of our productand service’s benefits in termsof sustainability. These include
ECOSE Technology, EPD
availability, LEED, DGNB
and BREEAM factsheets andrecycled content. With training
and additional tools ourcolleagues are better equipped
to have face-to-face discussions
with potential customers whoneed information about, forinstance, indoor air quality orLCA. Our teams know where to
get that information.

How has the training madea difference?

In addition

to thisinitiative
we alsocarried out

JEAN-PIERRE PIGEOLET,

50daysIn Italy and Spain, for example,
we have experts who can havedetailed conversations withcustomers about sustainability
issues at product and building
level. They have also had deep
conversations with LEED
assessors who have comeback and requested productinformation for specificconstruction projects. The
questions coming from trained
people are now detailed andfocus on particularities wedidn’t even think about —proof that they are becoming
experts and know where to takeadvantage of sustainability to
get better buildings.

companyEXCELLENCE GUARANTEED