Customer satisfaction as the highest goal

We manufacture products for our end customers to use. Their satisfaction is therefore our main goal. They have high expectations on the performance, safety and ecological manufacturing of our products. Our customers want to have fun engaging in outdoor activities safely - with products that are as "clean" as possible.

There are scientific studies which show that only about four percent of dissatisfied customers express their concerns to the company. In standard information channels such as complaint management - you only see the tip of the iceberg. Dissatisfied customers usually avoid the products. Further studies show that a dissatisfied customer expresses their dissatisfaction within their environment – which can result in a loss of 9 - 20 potential customers who do not purchase the brand.

Retailers are also important partners. They are our direct link to our end customers. In order to sell our products successfully, our partners must have confidence in VAUDE and VAUDE products. A good partnership and long-term cooperation with our retailers is therefore of utmost importance to us.

VAUDE relies on contact with its customers that is as direct as possible – with retailers as well as with end customers. Our sales representatives’ close contact with retail as well as regular meetings with major customers provides us with a precise picture of our customers’ needs and their level of satisfaction. This feedback flows directly into the development of our product collections. 

Based on seasonal complaint rates, we see where we are not meeting our customers’ needs. They provide us with valuable feedback on customer satisfaction. These evaluations are incorporated into the development of the next product collections. Significant points are also included in our internal documentation and training programs. These documents for quality standards are reviewed and updated annually.

For customers who do not want to file a complaint, but rather have questions, VAUDE has set up a customer portal (Zendesk). Customers can contact us over our website and ask us their questions. These inquiries will be answered by someone from the VAUDE sales team. The topics cover questions about the optimal product for certain tours, replacement parts, questions about harmful substances in the products, and repair requests for older VAUDE products.

This information also flows directly back into our product development and quality requirements.
While we systematically evaluate complaint figures and direct this information into the development of our collections, quality documents and training, there is currently little systematic evaluation of our Zendesk. We still see potential here to gain more meaningful information for increasing customer satisfaction.

In 2014 as a first step, we evaluated customer satisfaction with the Zendesk to draw conclusions about our service. In total 6,300 Zendesk requests were processed during the reporting period. Of these, 39.2% of customers gave an assessment on whether or not they were satisfied with VAUDE’s processing of their request. Only 846 customers were not satisfied, the majority (approximately 1,800), however, were satisfied. This results in a Satisfaction Score of 67.3%. Current measures (starting in mid-December 2014), such as the simplification of warranty claims or the direct shipment of spare parts in Germany, have increased customer satisfaction to almost 76% in early 2015.

Customers who bought our products online at Amazon can evaluate both their purchase experience and the product. Customers can share their level of satisfaction using a point system and by writing their own reviews. We have not yet implemented a systematic, qualitative analysis of the comments. However, conclusions can be drawn from the customer’s point based ratings.

For evaluations, customers can assign up to five stars. Four to five stars are considered positive, three starts neutral and zero to two stars negative. In the last 12 months 4,278 ratings were conducted. 84.57% of them were positive, 8.3% negative and 7.12% were neutral.

"Social Media" plays an essential role for us, since we can appeal specifically to a young audience. Direct contact is also ensured over this channel. We want to achieve broad identification with our products and the VAUDE brand with our monthly image videos. The number of hits, the average watch time, and high degree of positive comments attest to the fact that we are on the right track.

Since VAUDE does not ship to end customers directly, retailers are a very important group of customers for the company. In 2013, we actively participated in the first satisfaction survey of retailers conducted by the independent market research institute "benchmark Excellence". Retailers from all over Germany were asked to rate 13 outdoor brands – including Jack Wolfskin, The North Face, and Haglöfs. In depth questions were asked in all areas relevant to success for distributors.

Overall, questionnaires were completed by the Institute sent to 150 people from 122 companies. The response rate was 54 percent. In addition, 29 people were interviewed.

VAUDE achieved the top overall rating in the study - by a wide margin. In six of the seven assessment areas, VAUDE landed in first place:

• Customer Service
• Business development / support
• Logistics & supply chain
• Retail marketing
• Product range development
• Personnel
  

In the evaluation area "Consumer Marketing" we achieved 4th place. In all areas, retailers assessed VAUDE with above-average performance. Due to the good results of the survey, our motto is: We want to maintain our high level! A continuation of this study is planned for 2015.