World Championship in passenger car After-Sales: Seventh Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters with over 12,000 participants
Dr. Dieter Zetsche
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“Excellent service needs excellent employees – and we have them. This is proven by numerous independent studies in which our service receives top ratings year after year.”
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“With the Global TechMasters we ensure that this fact will remain so in the future. They are an important part of the qualification and motivation of our service teams worldwide – and finally to the success of Mercedes-Benz.”
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In total over 12,000 participants from the global Mercedes-Benz organization
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The best Mercedes-Benz passenger car workshop team in 2012 comes from the U.S.
For the seventh time already the Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters took place in Stuttgart from November 19 to 21. These are an international competition for workshop employees and service staff in Mercedes-Benz After-Sales. In total more than 12,000 employees from the global sales organization took part in the national prequalifying rounds. 96 National Champions from 16 countries qualified for this year’s finals in the run-up to Global TechMasters. Based on their job profiles, the respective participants competed against each other in both practical and theoretical tests. In addition to the winners in the individual categories, the best workshop team was also chosen based on a complete run-through in the workshop. In 2012 they came from xx.
The winners in the individual categories:
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1st place in the individual category “Certified Service Advisor”: Japan
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1st place “Certified Diagnostic Technician”: Germany
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1st place “System Technician – Powertrain”: USA
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1st place “System Technician – Driving Stability”: Germany
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1st place “Maintenance Technician”: Russia
Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and head of the Mercedes-Benz Cars division, was a guest speaker as part of the Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters. “Excellent service needs excellent employees – and we have them. This is proven by numerous independent studies in which our service receives top ratings year after year. With the Global TechMasters we ensure that this fact will remain so in the future. They are an important part of the qualification and motivation of our service teams worldwide – and finally to the success of Mercedes-Benz.”
Competition serves to increase the attractiveness of service careers
The awards were handed out by Dr. Frank Reintjes, Head of Global Service & Parts, Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars, Vans, Trucks and smart: “This year, more than 12,000 employees from the global Mercedes-Benz organization took part in the Global TechMasters. That makes me proud and shows the significance that the event has for our employees. The competition increases the attractiveness of service careers around the world and contributes to constantly improving the level of quality in the service and parts business. We want to continue to live up to our brand promise ‘The best or nothing’ also in service in future.“
The Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters
The Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters are an international motivation and qualification program for Mercedes-Benz service employees with the organization of national competitions in more than 25 countries. Category-specific, alternating every year between passenger cars and trucks, up to 16 countries can take part in the finals of the Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters in Stuttgart. The participants are determined in national prequalifying rounds. This year, the finalists hailed from Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Canada, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey and the USA.
The competition includes 4 test stations for each team. Every team comprises 6 participants including the team coach. Based on the career fields defined by the company in the Service & Parts unit, theoretical and practical tests as well as a skills circle and a non-technical team test were performed on November 20. In addition to theoretical know-how, the jury also tested the practical skills of each participant with regard to the respective job profile, e.g. Service Advisor or Diagnostic Technician, and assessed the direct communication with the customer. As part of a skills circle, the basic knowledge of the respective job profiles was challenged. Not only the individual participants were tested, however, as the competition also included the interaction within the teams.
The entire process from the service reception of a customer vehicle and the customer interview, the prediagnosis and repair to the handover of the vehicle to the customer was tested here. General questions about tools, products and processes in the service and parts business as well as about the culture and country-specific contact behavior of a Service Advisor rounded out the test. It was thus possible to determine the best national team in the world from among the National Champions. Furthermore, the jury chose the best technicians and Service Advisors in each case within the five individual disciplines.
In addition to the importance of the competition for outstanding customer care in everyday work as well as a high-quality and long-term further training, the Mercedes-Benz Global TechMasters show how the interaction works within a team characterized by diversity. Thanks to the best possible application of the skills of different team members, a culture of outstanding performance is actively experienced. In addition to the test part that the participants completed in one of the 11 native languages represented, they had copious opportunities to get to know their colleagues from other markets during the supporting program.
Mercedes-Benz Service and Parts
The Mercedes-Benz service and parts area is responsible for the entire service and parts business around the world for passenger cars, vans and trucks as well as smart in cooperation with dealers and company-owned sales and service outlets. The service business includes the service network with its over 5,000 service centers worldwide and the central service center for customer queries in Maastricht. The parts business includes parts marketing as well as the development of innovative part products and the parts logistics. The Mercedes-Benz offer in the service and parts business stands for individuality, appreciation, availability, partnership, competence and closeness.
