Volkswagen is continuing the consistent implementation of its ACCELERATE brand strategy and is creating the framework for strengthening the integrated customer experience in the age of digital mobility. A newly created project unit will serve as the interface to all relevant divisions and regions and establish a holistic user experience management system. Customer requirements and feedback will become the focal point for developing vehicles and services throughout the life cycle. The goal is to create a best-in-class customer experience at every point of contact with the Volkswagen brand. Dr. Markus Kleimann, formerly responsible for the G3 series (mid- and full-size), will head the new unit.
“As a result of the increasing digitalization of cars, new interfaces to our customers are being created inside and outside their vehicles. Now more than ever before, an integrated customer experience and the rapid implementation of customers’ requirements have become a key differentiating factor,” says Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand. “Volkswagen is evolving into a customer-centric tech company. With our ACCELERATE strategy, we have aligned our processes even more strongly with our customers’ needs – from the early development of our vehicles, through the configuration and purchase of a car and our digital service offering, to workshop visits.”
Volkswagen has appointed Dr. Markus Kleimann as Chief Experience Officer (CXO) with responsibility for the overall management and systematic further development of customer interfaces. Prior to his role as head of the G3 series, Kleimann held positions such as Chief Development Officer and Head of Strategy in South America and in countries such as China, where he drove the definition and development of market-specific products tailored to regional customer requirements, e.g., the Virtus and Taigo in Brazil. As Chief Experience Officer, he will ensure that customers’ expectations and requirements are incorporated at all stages of product and service development.
“For us, an integrated customer experience means utilizing customer feedback in the further development of our products and services. This is crucial in the competition for the most satisfied customers. With our new unit, we are creating the framework that will enable us to incorporate customer requirements into our offering more quickly and consistently in the future. It is especially important to make our services intuitive to use, to integrate them into our customers’ lives and experience, and to forecast new developments,” says Kleimann.
Customer requirements and feedback will be the focal point for all steps in the development of vehicles and services throughout the life cycle. The goal is to create a best-in-class customer experience at every point of contact with the Volkswagen brand.
With our ACCELERATE brand strategy, we want to make Volkswagen the most attractive sustainable mobility brand. To this end, the company is driving ahead with its digital transformation, thus increasing the pace on its path to becoming a software-based mobility provider. New data-based business models, software integration in vehicles and a newly established digital ecosystem will become the company’s core competencies. At the same time, Volkswagen is continuing the systematic electrification of its vehicle fleet.