From local IT needs to global process transformation: Hilti’s customer service program

vom Brocke, Jan; Schmiedel, Theresa; Simons, Alexander; Schmid, Alexander; Petry, Martin; Baeck, Christoph (2016). From local IT needs to global process transformation: Hilti’s customer service program Business Process Management Journal, 22(3), pp. 594-613. Emerald Group Publishing Limited 10.1108/BPMJ-02-2015-0016

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to summarize an information technology (IT) initiative at Hilti Corporation that began with a local IT need and ended with the global transformation of the company’s customer service processes and infrastructures. The authors highlight 12 lessons learned from the transformation, which Hilti referred to as the Global Contact Center (GCC) program. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyze Hilti’s GCC program based on first-hand experience. Hilti applied an innovative, wave-like implementation approach that facilitated a fast roll-out, fostered peer-to-peer knowledge transfer, and helped to overcome reluctance to change. Findings The analysis of Hilti’s approach to its new customer service management reveals a number of simple, yet, critical lessons learned regarding leveraging IT-driven business value through global process transformation. Research limitations/implications The case report can help researchers to further theorize about IT-enabled process transformation. The GCC program resulted in significant improvements in the performance and quality of customer service processes and enabled transparent reporting and performance measurement on a global scale. Practical implications Overall, the GCC case provides an illustrative example of successful process transformation at the global level that also demonstrates implementation challenges. As such, the case report can help practitioners in planning and executing similar projects toward customer service excellence. Originality/value Hilti’s GCC case not only provides fresh insights into a successful process transformation. As it focusses on customer service, it also concerns an application area that has received little in the way of attention from process transformation research.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	Business School
Name:	vom Brocke, Jan; Schmiedel, Theresa; Simons, Alexander; Schmid, Alexander; Petry, Martin and Baeck, Christoph
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
ISSN:	1463-7154
Publisher:	Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Submitter:	Alexander Schmid
Date Deposited:	13 Aug 2019 15:08
Last Modified:	11 Sep 2019 13:09
Publisher DOI:	10.1108/BPMJ-02-2015-0016
ARBOR DOI:	10.24451/arbor.272
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/272