Pan-European direct marketing capability and call centres
Heidelberg Druckmaschinen are a printing company who have been at the forefront of printing technology since 1850. They are the global market leader in the manufacture of printing presses and currently have a 70-80% market share across the globe. They employ 23,500 people in 170 countries and have a turnover of nearly €4 billion.
As part of continued and profitable growth, Heidelberg were expanding into new areas of pre-press (from design to manufacture of the plates for the printing press) and finishing (stapling, binding, laminating etc) and most recently, consumables (rollers, plates, films, inks etc). Heidelberg were setting up consumables as a new Business Unit to sell to both existing and new markets through direct marketing centres within each country (branded Heidelberg Direct).
The direct marketing centres (DMCs) were to sit at the heart of this business in each country to perform the key sales, marketing and service functions needed to win, retain and grow profitable consumables customers. Heidelberg set up new call centres as a key feature of each DMC.
Through a multi-national competitive tender, CCL were chosen to assist Heidelberg to develop the business case and strategy for setting up the DMCs in the desired timescales. CCL also provided local teams (initially in France, Germany, UK and Sweden) comprising of project management, direct operations, HR, recruitment and training, and direct marketing specialists. These teams led the full implementation of the DMCs at local level. In addition, we developed the central IT strategy that governed the solution and are guided the client and systems third parties in the detailed design and implementation.
The DMCs integrated with other new functions within Heidelberg Direct (e.g. logistics and distribution) as well as with existing functions in the core business such as the local country business units and the existing sales forces. The DMCs initially had telephone, fax, mail and e-mail capability, and multi-media was introduced as the DMCs grew and customers were educated to take advantage of an on line ordering facility.