Focus on customers through customer-oriented key figures

Initial Situation and Project Objectives

Bayer CropScience, a sub-group of Bayer AG Leverkusen, is a provider of plant protection products and seed. Products are marketed indirectly by the regional companies to the end users, such as the farmers, via the various distribution channels. In order to develop solutions today for the customer needs of tomorrow, it is important for Bayer CropScience to intensify relations with the customer so as to better learn their current and future requirements. That is why the project "Customer Metrics - increasing business performance by measuring close to the customer” was drawn up. The objective of this project was to systematically measure customer relation elements, so as to better align the tools used for market cultivation.

Tasks of UNITY

A concept for customer-oriented performance indicators was developed and applied as an example case using two pilot countries. The concept was based on the following requirements:

• Performance indicators geared toward the end customer
• Performance indicators derived from the company objectives
• Development of a basic set of performance indicators, which is uniform and comparable throughout the world
• Applicable for countries with varying degrees of CRM know-how
• Organizational establishment of performance indicators using a reporting process plus clarification of responsibilities

Benefits for the Client

This project helped create a global standard for customer-oriented performance indicators. The performance indicator system derived from the business figures is effective and easily applied to the regional companies. New findings were acquired in the pilot countries in the course of this current project. A shared understanding of the importance of proximity to the end customer was also gained and initial measures were formulated.

In order to do justice to the somewhat different regional requirements, the concept was developed in a modular fashion. Every country can thus meet its individual requirements through the selection of performance indicators. A manual has been designed to assist with worldwide implementation.