Building automation company transitions to a new way of engaging its customers

Catering to a wider audience while acknowledging the competition’s efforts

Building automation includes heating, ventilation, elevators, lighting, energy control, surveillance, and access control. Many of these areas are vastly complex with countless possible customizations that are directly linked to pricing. It is also an industry where customer requirements and construction regulations are rapidly changing. Some of our client’s competition had already deployed self-service solutions, but our client wanted to focus on customer experience. The company wanted to modernize the entire buying experience for its customers, realizing that not all buyers would have deep technical knowledge. 

Innovating the buying journey by empowering the customer

BearingPoint worked with the client to develop a new solution focused on a customer centric approach to ease the configuration and planning process for their customers. This resulted in creating a digital twin for the client’s products, with features borrowed from automotive configurators. The customer journey needed to accommodate many complex factors such as architectural design, budget limitations, building planning, capacity, safety, legal and regulatory requirements. The team leveraged the concept of a ‘digital twin’ to focus on improving the customer journey resulting in a fully configured product. Up-to-date product specifications and drawings are then integrated into the customer project where the customer can manage their projects and collaborate real-time with the client’s sales representatives.  

Transforming the old sales process into an enjoyable buying experience

The new configuration tool has successfully transformed a conventional sales process into an efficient and effective customer experience controlled by the customers themselves. 

The solution has been implemented in more than 60 countries where the client operates, unfolding the new approach of focusing on the end customer. The configurator has simplified the buyer journey, allowing the client to increase revenue and expand lead generation. It has also enabled them to acquire new customers that were previously out of reach, while at the same time reducing the costs for marketing materials.