Panasonic Marketing Middle East and Africa (PMMAF) has begun its robust business year with the 2024 Panasonic Customer Service Strategy Conference, a pivotal annual event held in Dubai, aimed at reinforcing its dedication to enhancing customer experience. Alongside the conference, the Japanese manufacturer also staged the 13th Regional Technical Olympics, a repair skills contest designed to improve the competencies of service technicians representing Panasonic’s MEA Service Partner Companies.
A key highlight of the back-to-back events saw Panasonic taking a major step with its clear customer-focused vision as it launched a brand-new digital window for customer care support – SMARTCARE World. A centralized after-sales support platform, SMARTCARE World streamlines operations by consolidating various support systems into a single hub accessible to customers, Engineers, dealers, and service centers. It offers features like service requests, operation manuals, spare parts ordering, warranty claims, service reports, training materials, and technical support through a user-friendly dashboard and mobile apps.
Putting customers at the center of its business, Panasonic has been consistently building up its operational improvements over the years, striving to effectively create a highly standardized system designed to enhance customer experience. PMMAF’s CEO Hiroyuki Shibutani said: “Panasonic continues its strong history of a customer-oriented corporate culture with the holding of the CS Strategy Conference, as well as the annual Regional Technical Olympics. These events are at the heart of our initiatives as we re-affirm our commitment to the customers. Aiming to deliver operational excellence and the ultimate customer experience challenges us to be a better company and I'm proud of what we're doing to live up to the guiding principles of Panasonic."
Mr. Shibutani added: “We live in a fast-paced environment and Panasonic truly understands the need for swift solutions to customers’ concerns regarding their appliances and devices. As we operate across the MEA region, we also recognize the importance of being able to serve our loyal customers by overcoming geographical barriers. Hence, we are constantly improving our digitization efforts and launching the SMARTCARE World mirrors Panasonic’s larger corporate vision to provide a smarter, future-ready solution to optimize customer experience.”
As a global leader in developing innovative technologies and solutions, Panasonic made history recently by becoming the first brand in the region to introduce a digital platform for service and warranty support. In 2021, the company introduced the Smart Care App, a first-of-it-kind e-warranty (paperless) registration and claims system in the MEA region.
“Panasonic has been at the center of a new era of digitization, implementing the latest technologies to improve its manufacturing processes, product quality, customer service experience, and delivery. In line with this, we leveraged Smart Care App’s efficiencies to introduce SMARTCARE World. This marks a transformative leap in reshaping our efforts to revolutionize after-sales service delivery and ultimately offer an even better customer experience,” commented Anthony Peter - Director, Customer Service Division (CSD) PMMAF.
Mr. Peter explained that with SMARTCARE World, real-time access and updates are ensured with a unified database, while comprehensive training resources empower technicians. Transparent warranty claims processes and multiple technical support channels also enhance customer satisfaction. Moreover, robust security measures safeguard sensitive data, and feedback mechanisms enable continuous improvement. “In summary, this platform serves as a convenient, efficient, and secure one-stop destination for all after-sales support needs, benefiting all stakeholders involved. SMARTCARE World thus becomes more than just a service — it's a community, where everyone finds support,” he added.
The Customer Service Strategy Conference was attended by key service and distribution partners from across the region and involved discussions on the company’s CS Plan for the fiscal year 2024. Meanwhile, the 13th Regional Technical Olympics saw participants display their technical expertise and proficiency in repairing small domestic appliances (water dispenser and microwave ovens).
To cap the event, PMMAF recognized the STAR Service Competition Awardees in appreciation of outstanding performance at company and individual levels in achieving service excellence in fiscal year 2023. Additionally, winners and runners-up of the Technical Olympics were honored.
