Wilo-Live Assistant: Pocket-sized technical adviser
Technology specialist offers digital service with added customer value
What would it be like to always have a technical advisor at your side when servicing pumps? Someone who is there to answer every question and solve every problem? Not possible? It is possible! This is made possible by the Wilo-Live Assistant, the mobile solution for all questions concerning pumps and pump system solutions of the Dortmund technology specialist.
"In addition to efficient, reliable pumps, our customers and partners are increasingly attaching great importance to premium services", explains Peter Glauner, worldwide responsible head of Wilo Group Service. "As a digital pioneer in the pump industry, we are bringing a service to the market that does not yet exist in this form and offers the customer an enormous reduction in workload and thus real added value". The Dortmund-based company makes use of a tool that every technician, plumber or facility manager always carries with him: the cell phone.
Customers do not need to download an additional app for this free service. If there is a corresponding need, the customer contacts Wilo's local service organisation by telephone. Via encrypted SMS he receives a link through which live video telephony is established. Here he must allow access to the location (optional), camera and microphone of his mobile phone for the duration of the service consultation. Wilo experts connect to the mobile phone via a secure connection. "The technical Wilo customer service can then see the picture of the mobile phone camera on the computer", explains Wilo Service Solution Manager Niko Kösling, who is responsible for the project. "Via the telephone we can then quasi control the customer, e.g. which details we have to see more precisely or from which angle we have to inspect a component". The Wilo expert can then see on the screen where the shoe pinches and take remedial action. "By means of the software we also have the possibility to mark certain areas, e.g. to show screws or components to be loosened. The customer on site then also sees this on his mobile phone display", explains Kösling. "We can also send pictures or operating and installation instructions directly to the mobile device if they are not available and needed at the time. At the other end of the line at Wilo there are always trained specialists from service, sales and the well-known WiloLine. This ensures that the service of the Wilo Live Assistant covers the entire Wilo portfolio, whether for building services engineering, water management, industry or the OEM sector. Data is not stored after the process is completed: "All data is stored securely on servers of the service providers for the duration of the consultation and is deleted completely immediately after the end of the conversation", assures Niko Kösling.
The system has been put through its paces over the past few months, including in Germany, Austria, Russia, Great Britain and Dubai. "We have received an all-round positive feedback from the pilot phase," remembers Peter Glauner. "With the Wilo-Live Assistant, we offer a free service that meets customers' requirements for mobile services in real time." The launch of the Wilo-Live Assistant took place in 25 countries in mid-February, and another 15 countries will be connected by mid-March.
