How can you make sure you’re measuring the data that matters? This was the challenge that faced Volkswagen Group UK. The company wanted to drive business change through its retailers, but the existing performance management systems were not fit for that purpose. Volkswagen Group UK brought Rubica on board to advise on a new system that would improve customer service and drive business change. The result? Actionable insights that are delivering real benefits.
The challenge: improving fleet mobility and customer service
When a customer’s vehicle is unexpectedly off the road due to a breakdown or a warranty issue, Volkswagen Group UK provides a courtesy replacement vehicle through its network of 650 independent retailers.
A team keeps track of how quickly the company gets customers back into their own cars. However, the company was struggling to meet its performance targets in this area and costs were higher than they should have been.
“We were trying to drive business change through our retailers so they would manage our fleet mobility in a more customer-focused way,” says Mark Say, Head of CRM & Customer Data, Volkswagen Group UK. “But the system we had inherited didn’t contain the right data, so it didn’t enable or support business change.”
The solution: a performance management system that drives change
Volkswagen Group UK chose Rubica as consultants on this project due to our expertise in performance measurement, analytics and change management. This combination of skills meant that we could support the company’s goal to refocus its reporting and measurement systems in order to drive behavioural change.
Over the course of a year, the project involved:
- Auditing existing systems
- Pinpointing opportunities for improving efficiency and customer service
- Developing a reporting tool that offered greater actionable insights
- Helping the business focus on the outcomes of better actions and drive change.
Understanding the flaws in the existing system
The first stage of the project involved an audit to review the existing business performance reports and IT systems. Next came interviews with brand managers, dealer representatives, the customer services team and IT leads.
“We discovered that although lots of data was being produced, systems weren’t connected, measures were too surface-level and key information was missing,” says Paul Frith, Rubica’s Director of Performance Measurement & Analytics. “As a result, Volkswagen Group UK lacked the high-quality, accurate, timely information and overall visibility of performance that would help them to improve and drive change.”
Building a new system aligned with Group objectives
The Rubica team addressed the gaps in critical data by mapping the business process from start to finish using the PuMP® performance measurement methodology. This produced a Key Results Map that highlighted the data that would ensure that analytics would align with commercial benefits and process performance improvements.
“We helped the Volkswagen Group UK team to focus on the most important changes that would support Group-wide customer mobility performance ambitions,” says Paul. “In addition to developing a new reporting tool and rebuilding the data warehouse, we re-engineered people’s thinking, encouraging them to work together to enable improved behaviours.”
Results: data that produces actionable insights
The managers across Volkswagen Group UK’s 650-strong dealership network now have the measures and data in place to gain the insights they need. Thanks to the new system, people trust the data, have the confidence to act on insights and are making the changes that the business requires.