Expert Talks with Irene Manera: how IoT data makes service proactive

Irene Manera's journey: from sales to leading service

Daniele: Good morning, everyone, I'm Daniele Delle Case and this is Expert Talks, the Things5 podcast that talks about technologies and smart products with industry experts. With us today is Irene Manera, Head of Service at DIHR, which manufactures commercial dishwashers. Hi Irene, great to have you here. How are you, first of all?

Irene: Hi, good morning. All good, thanks. I'm glad to be part of this discussion you invited me to, so thank you.

Daniele: The pleasure is all ours. Irene, I'd like to start by understanding your professional story and what brought you here with us today.

Irene: I started my adventure at DIHR in 2003. I had the opportunity to work in several departments: sales, shipping and service. So I was able to see the whole process, from the first contact with the company all the way to after-sales service, where I am today.

I gained cross-functional skills: on the one hand, an interest in how the machine works, and on the other, the desire to maintain contact and the relationship with the customer, which I really enjoy. This led me to join service and then to become its head.

How to turn a technical problem into a moment of trust

Daniele: Roughly speaking, what are the daily responsibilities of the person in charge of service?

Irene: There are many. There are a lot of responsibilities, but I have a team that supports me and we manage to respond well to the customer. Among the main tasks is giving a fast and effective answer to anyone who finds themselves in a situation where they need technical support: we have to be quick, given their needs.

Another important challenge is being able to turn a technical problem into a positive situation: the customer has a problem, we provide a solution, and they perceive that they have a partner close by who supports them. This strengthens trust in the relationship with us.

Daniele: This concept of a "positive situation": have you done a study or defined a standardized path to turn critical moments into positive ones?

Irene: What we've put in place at the company starts first and foremost with staff training: people who know how to do the job fully, with technical skills, so knowing what we're talking about.

Then we've also worked a lot on the human side: being more empathetic toward the customer, being understanding about the situation they're in, listening to them and gathering information. Once we have the data we need, we have to provide an effective solution: when we give a solution we have to be sure it's the right one, otherwise you go from the peace of mind of a solution found to frustration.

Daniele: If you had to identify the most important and interesting aspects of your work, which ones would you give as examples?

Irene: Definitely the daily contact with the customer. When we interact with them, we represent our company: we're people, but in that moment "we are DIHR."

It's also interesting to talk about innovative products that deliver results. And then there's the satisfaction that comes when the problem is solved effectively: the customer appreciates our work, and that gives energy, motivation and drive to keep improving.

How IoT and the customer portal have changed technical service

Daniele: You used two keywords I really like: empathy and satisfaction. Empathy is the foundation of any human relationship, and in your work it's essential. Satisfaction is what drives you to do your job well and to keep trying to do it better and better. If you had to identify how your work has changed over time from a technology standpoint, what are the biggest changes you've seen in recent years?

Irene: Definitely having digital tools available has been very useful to us. With IoT we've been able to track what's happening to a machine in operation: how it's working, consumption, alarms. This helps us when the customer contacts us: we save time because we already have the machine's history and the data available, and we can give faster suggestions on how to intervene.

Another important tool is the portal available to customers: they can access documentation related to the machine at any time, even on weekends. These two tools have definitely made us more efficient toward our customers.

What customers fear when they call service and how to reassure them

Daniele: So: traceability, which brings the value of speed in the response, and the portal, which guarantees availability. Still starting from these aspects, what do you think are your customers' biggest fears when they call service?

Irene: One fear can be not finding a solution, especially if there's machine downtime. Fortunately, to date we've always found a solution and there haven't been any particularly critical situations. But sometimes the discomfort grows if you don't get to the bottom of it right away. It can also happen that the customer, in the initial contact, leaves out information that seems unimportant to them but is actually decisive for unblocking the problem.

Another issue that can be scary is spare parts availability. We guarantee spare parts availability for 10 years from the moment the machine was "released to production" (put into production). In reality, we often get requests for machines that are even more than 20 years old, and parts are still available for those too.

In general, to reassure the customer we invest a lot in training: both internally and for customers. Every month we organize meetings (online and in person) with our dealers' technicians: training sessions where we look at the machines from every angle. We also have a test room where we run tests with the technicians. It's appreciated because things come up in the discussion that might take a back seat if you only read the manual.

As a service team, we always try to reassure customers and make them understand that we're there: for us, the customer is at the center.

Daniele: And what are Irene's fears when she calls a customer?

Irene: My fear is that the customer is dissatisfied, that is, that I won't be able to meet their expectations. I believe strongly in the relationship: if, when the customer contacts us, I clearly understand their expectations and context through communication, the picture is clear to me and I'll look for every possible tool to follow through on what's needed.

Daniele: In the commercial relationship with the customer, how important is the synergy between service and the people who sell the machines?

Irene: It's important. Fortunately, we're able to work together with sales, sharing information and data that they collect and that we then process.

They often tell us: "We're following an important project, the customer is about to buy this machine." At that point we organize meetings at the company, giving the customer and their technicians the opportunity to attend the machine's testing. The synergy between sales and service is fundamental: the customer buys a product, but everything around it also matters, meaning the team that follows them from the sale to after-sales service. So we talk things through and welcome customers by organizing these moments.

Which KPIs to measure in technical service and spare parts

Daniele: What KPIs or metrics should your department monitor to guarantee service quality?

Irene: In my department we handle both spare parts and technical support. For spare parts, we monitor order fulfillment times and processing readiness: the whole cycle from the moment the order arrives to when it's shipped. We're investing more and more because competition is strong and we have to provide efficient service.

For technical support, a key goal is response time: timing is extremely important. But I also insist on another aspect: the answer does have to be fast, but above all effective, correct and precise.

Daniele: How do you measure that?

Irene: It's not easy, but when a request comes in and, after the answer, there's no "comeback" (the case doesn't get reopened), it means the answer was good enough.

Connected dishwashers: the blind spot and predictive maintenance

Daniele: I'd like to move on to connectivity: how has it impacted your work, and what's your point of view on the connectivity of your dishwashers?

Irene: With the tool we use to see the machine's performance, we can understand how it's been used: how the components are working, chemical consumption, and other parameters. This data is "pure gold" for our dealers.

If we think about the dealers' technicians: when there's machine downtime, they have to drop everything and intervene quickly. With data, on the other hand, we can work to avoid machine downtime, that is, in a predictive way.

For example: if heating times have always been good and suddenly something changes, there could be a problem. We can suggest to the technician: "When you're in the area, stop by that customer and check," for example a boiler or tank heating element that isn't heating properly, or problems caused by limescale (which we see often). That way you intervene before the failure occurs.

Daniele: Have you already implemented these predictive aspects through algorithms, or is it still a person monitoring the data today?

Irene: At the moment it's handled by an actual person, but I think the future may move toward algorithms that generate alerts when something doesn't add up. That would help us intervene quickly and effectively.

Daniele: What's the most valuable data you're collecting?

Irene: Understanding how the customer uses the machine. We have visibility when we supply it, but once it's installed and running, we're not physically there. The dealer also has limited visibility: they install it and intervene on request, but what happens day to day is only seen by the end user.

Understanding usage helps us come up with new solutions: only the people who use the machine can really tell us what works, what doesn't, and where we can improve.

Daniele: How do your customers react to having a connected machine? Are they happy, indifferent, or do they understand the value?

Irene: We have a varied customer base: some show resistance to connectivity and new technologies, sometimes because of limited familiarity or knowledge. On the other hand, there are customers who actually ask us for it, because they have experience or training.

We as the supplier can make the difference by spreading the word about the importance of connectivity and helping them understand the benefits. Another fear may be related to data privacy and security: if we surround ourselves with high-performing, competent suppliers, we don't need to worry.

From reactive to proactive service: connectivity and servitization

Daniele: Do you sell this service at a charge, or is it included in the package?

Irene: At the moment it's a paid optional service. But it should be seen as an investment: we provide it for 10 years, which is the average lifespan of a dishwasher. So we tell the customer: today it may look like an expense, but in the long run, with all the advantages it brings, you'll benefit from it.

Daniele: A question about servitization: when the product is sold as a service over time, service becomes more central. What's your vision, and how does it fit a company like yours?

Irene: I think service should be less and less reactive (the "problem solver") and more and more proactive: offering the customer suggestions and advice, guiding them toward using the equipment effectively. It's the idea of bringing the customer not just to the purchase of the product, but to a package that extends over time.

How generative AI can support service and field technicians

Daniele: Let's talk about generative AI: what's your vision? How do you think it could help your work?

Irene: It could help once the machine's usage data is collected and stored. I'd expect this data to be processed by artificial intelligence, and from there tips and suggestions would reach the customer on how to use the machine more and more appropriately.

Today we can produce all the documentation we possibly can, and in the manuals we try to be precise and thorough. But if AI detects specific behaviors and conditions, it can step in with faster, simpler suggestions, interpreting the data and generating personalized answers. The manual gives a complete overview, but it isn't focused on the specific needs of the individual customer: if AI detects actual usage, it can provide targeted input, improving performance.

Daniele: And for troubleshooting? Using the history of interactions with customers on similar problems?

Irene: I'd see it as internal support for the technical support team, not so much externally. The technical team could see it as a help: when a request comes in, AI can give an accurate first answer. Meanwhile, the team can focus on broader aspects where human intervention is essential, improving overall speed.

Daniele: And for training field technicians? Can these tools generate value there?

Irene: Absolutely. When they go on site, they could arrive with all the spare parts they need. Often the technician arrives with fragmented information and brings the wrong spare parts: this creates difficulties, because the customer thinks "now the problem's going to be solved," and instead it becomes a negative situation.

With AI, by gathering more information, you can identify critical issues and the necessary spare parts in advance. That way, when the technician is on site, they solve the problem by replacing what's needed: the difficult moment becomes an opportunity for the company and for the technician, and the customer's trust grows because they feel reassured by the solution.

Daniele: And what about generative AI as a user interface for the product, as an alternative to traditional user interfaces? How do you see it, and what implications would it have for your work?

Irene: It could be useful for using the product: if it detects that the customer is using a certain cycle with a certain type of soil, it could suggest a more suitable cycle: "For this type of soil, I recommend this other cycle." It's proactive support in using the product, more than a "convenience" for its own sake.

Daniele: As we head toward the end: from your point of view, what future trends will influence your work, your department and the market?

Irene: For our office, I think we'll increasingly be supported by artificial intelligence as a tool that helps us respond quickly to the customer. I see it as something that will accompany us and help us be more competitive.

At the company level, AI can also help with internal collaboration, with sharing information between colleagues.

Daniele: How do the skills of people who provide customer support change with these new tools?

Irene: We need to plan more and more training sessions for the internal team, because technology is advancing fast. You need to know it and know how to use it effectively: so, specific training on these tools.

Irene Manera's advice for those starting to digitize service

Daniele: If you had to give advice to a company that's just starting a service digitalization journey, what would you say?

Irene: I'd advise them to rely on expert, competent suppliers with experience in these tools. The world is vast; you can't expect to know everything right away. By relying on solid partners and asking for advice, you can use technology effectively.

Daniele: As we wrap up: is there anything you'd like to add for our listeners?

Irene: One piece of advice, especially for those who work in service, is to never stop learning and to always listen. In relationships and in conversations, by listening to people and their experiences (customers' and colleagues'), there's always something to take away that can become real added value in the relationship and in our work.

Daniele: Great, Irene, thank you so much for your time. It's been a real pleasure chatting with you today. I hope to see you again soon.

Irene: Thank you so much. Thank you. Until next time.