Freelance Interim Manager | Head of Sales

• Responsible for redesigning the sales structure
• Implemented new structures for customer outreach in both B2B and B2C
• Revised pricing strategies to strengthen competitiveness
• Primary responsibility for developing and implementing two central company objectives
• Optimized sales processes
• Managed and developed up to 6 sales team members
• Implemented and optimized Salesforce (CRM) and a cloud telephony system

As Head of Customer Service (DE, AT, Nordics) and project lead for the "Customer Service Redesign" initiative:

• Led and restructured the Customer Service team
• Onboarded, led, and developed up to 8 team members
• Improved customer service for B2B clients in retail: extended service availability, ensured faster, on-time, and error-reduced order processing through EDI solutions
• Strengthened team cohesion in Customer Service
• Improved collaboration with other departments
• Developed new service offerings for retail partners

• Leading and developing staff (five direct reports and up to 1,000 service employees across German stores)
• Developing, planning and rolling out the Smartbar service concept for MediaMarkt and Saturn with annual revenues in the mid double-digit million range
• Developing, planning and rolling out the new service portfolio "MediaMarkt PowerService"
• Further developing and optimizing the MediaMarkt repair service with an annual volume of 3 million service cases
• Negotiating and finalizing service agreements with suppliers and manufacturers for MediaMarkt and Saturn
• Building, rolling out and further developing the warranty extension products "MediaMarkt PlusGarantie/PlusSchutz"
• Building and optimizing a nationwide on-site service for TVs and large household appliances

Achievements:

• Achieving the "Smartbar" service and solution strategic goal for Ceconomy AG
• Reducing repair times for end customers by eight days (50%), resulting in a significant increase in customer satisfaction

As project manager for various initiatives and areas:

Initiative: B2C service concepts:

• Developing and implementing B2C service concepts nationwide
• Product management of the service portfolio
• Building and managing external nationwide partner networks
• Developing and executing e-commerce marketing for services
• Marketing, budget, and revenue planning for B2C services

Project examples:

• Developing a subscription model as a new business field for software sales (online and in-store), resulting in increased customer retention
• Developing and implementing the "Smartbar" (mobile phone repair and service counters) for 400 electronics stores and 800 technicians (still a key component in MediaMarkt and Saturn's repositioning); achieving the strategic goal of Ceconomy AG
• Developing a nationwide air conditioning installation service for B2C including a technician network within four months despite the skilled labor shortage

Initiative: warranty extension and device insurance:

• Developing warranty extensions and B2C insurance products for electronics retailers ("PlusGarantie" and "PlusSchutz") as a new service offering (still an important revenue pillar for Ceconomy AG)
• Optimizing and revising the product portfolio
• Searching for and selecting cooperation partners (e.g., insurance companies)
• Managing and optimizing claim cases
• Defining processes in cooperation with insurance companies (e.g., Allianz, Zurich)
• Training sales staff

Initiative: nationwide repair service (after-sales service):

• Further developing and optimizing the repair service with an annual volume of 3 million service cases
• Negotiating and finalizing service agreements with suppliers and international manufacturers from the IT, mobile, and electronics sectors

Project example:

• Designing and optimizing a 24-hour quick repair service for smartphones in collaboration with a South Korean mobile phone manufacturer in German cities
• Creating a new repair solution when existing workshops were fully booked
• Utilizing decentralized repair capacities in major cities
• Achieving very high end-customer satisfaction (NPS survey)

Initiative: technical call center:

• Developing a contact center with 60 agents to handle and coordinate field repair orders, including 100 external service providers and customer support to avoid errors
• Establishing a contact center organization with up to 1,000 employees for various tasks (impact of successful project implementation)

Area: service and partner management:

• Building and optimizing a nationwide technical on-site service for TVs and white goods (B2C) with about 100 external service providers
• Managing and supporting 150 external repair workshops across the country
• Finding partners and setting up a nationwide air conditioning installation service within four months
• Developing cooperation with Deutsche Telekom AG (technical service) for B2C services

Area: procurement of services, non-trade goods, and spare parts:

• Planning needs assessment
• Searching nationwide for service providers or distributors
• Negotiating framework agreements with service providers and suppliers
• Monitoring and operational support

Project example:

• Short-term takeover of an interim project with over €500,000 procurement volume and eight weeks for implementation: sourcing IT hardware for 430 electronics stores