Mercedes-Benz is investing in the development of its digital competence as part of its ‘Best Customer Experience’ sales and marketing initiative.
So far more than 100 jobs will be created, predominantly in Stuttgart.
The aim is to set up a digital unit headed by Sabine Scheunert as part of a cross-departmental joint initiative between marketing and IT.
This is the next step on Mercedes-Benz’s transition from automotive manufacturer to mobility and service provider with ‘Mercedes me’ as one of its focal points, which includes offering customers products, services, experiences and a link up wherever they happen to be.
“To meet the challenges of digitalisation as effectively as possible we are adopting new approaches in terms of our organisation and our processes. We will be fundamentally changing the structure and modus operandi of our digital sales activities. We want to become faster and more agile, working in small teams with flat hierarchies, and considerably increase our own digital real net output ratio,” says Jens Thiemer, head of marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars.
According to Jan Brecht, CIO at Daimler AG, this move sees the company ‘implementing a true change in culture, which will make it even fitter for the digital age’.
More digitisation for customer dialogue and personalisation
In line with its current initiative, Mercedes-Benz is responding to the growing need for a specifically personalised customer approach. The envisaged digital unit is set to make ‘products come alive for customers’ and pool the associated sales activities, including personalised sales and after-sales offers, further development of ‘Mercedes me’, and the implementation of apps for a mobility and service package.
Key features of the new unit include autonomy and self-organisation, end-to-end product responsibility, teamwork, and equal partnerships in a modern work environment.
The person in charge of executing the new tasks is Scheunert (41), who was appointed head of digital and IT for marketing and sales on July 1. She has worked in the automotive industry since 1998 and was formerly general manager marketing for Central Eastern Europe at BMW. In 2010 she moved to the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group, where she was head of worldwide customer relationship management for all the PSA brands. More recently, she assumed responsibility for the Citroën brand’s business in China, making her the country’s first female CEO.
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