With 100,000 interventions per year, technical assistance is at the heart of the French construction equipment rental giant’s strategic priorities. In order to increase customer satisfaction, Kiloutou has set itself the objective of resolving breakdowns within four hours. Reactivity to breakdowns, information and speed of intervention are the concerns that Kiloutou intends to address through its internal reorganisation and the digitalisation of its technical assistance.
A strategic deployment
The pilot phase launched in 2017 in two strategic regions of France, Paris and Rhône-Alpes, has already resulted in the appointment of local Technical Assistance Managers. These managers, with their experience as technical experts and supported by project managers, fine-tune the diagnosis and organise repairs. “Most of our equipment is rented for a short period, on average two days. A breakdown stops the user, reduces productivity and causes a high level of stress for the customer,” says Jean-Charles Marin, Technical Director at Kiloutou. Whatever the cause, the manager’s mission is to resolve the breakdown as quickly as possible. Since September 2018, the restructuring of technical assistance has been extended to the 14 regions in France.
ASTEK, the digital tool that digitises technical assistance
The implementation of ASTEK, a management and automation software and smartphone application, has made it possible to optimise technical assistance through data analysis. Whether it is the history of the machine or the progress of the intervention, each piece of data is taken into consideration and weighs up the choice of the solution. The database is constantly enriched, and the intervention is constantly improved. For example, the regional manager can now geolocate the technicians and select the most appropriate one according to his location, availability and traffic. In addition, this digital tool automates the information in real time by sending SMS and notifications: the user is kept informed and communication between all the players is optimised. The technician receives an alert on his smartphone which he is free to accept or refuse. While today, one call out of four concerns the lack of knowledge of the machine, visual support, via explanatory videos, will eventually complete the ASTEK digital tool and facilitate the handling of the machines by the users.
Objectives: customer experience & safety
“Kiloutou is doing everything possible to improve the customer experience and promote safety on construction sites, but we have to be aware that in our sector, there is no such thing as zero risk,” analyses Jean Charles Marin. To guarantee the reliability of its equipment, Kiloutou has adopted the principle of prevention: all machine returns are checked in the dedicated Kiloutou Technical Centre. The results of the customer satisfaction questionnaires, which generate the NPS, the quality indicator, confirm Kiloutou’s approach: the results of the pilot phase are very positive and customer satisfaction is on the rise.