Analysis of the Estimated Time of Delivery Accuracy and Improvement Recommendations for the Critical Parts Management Department of the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center

The automotive after-sales business’ emphasis is on customer retention which it accomplishes by providing services such as maintenance, reparation and spare parts supply. However, not only the rapid supply of spare parts impacts customer satisfaction, but also the service of providing customers with an accurate delivery date. In this context, the Critical Parts Management department at the Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Center plays a crucial role because their scope of responsibility is the management of parts bottlenecks in the Mercedes-Benz after-sales logistics chain for wholesalers and retailers located worldwide. This thesis aims on establishing a rating of improvement recommendations whose implementation can positively influence the delivery date accuracy. Hence, the scope of the analysis comprises an initial assessment of the current situation and the main driving factors that impact the delivery date accuracy. This study relies on qualitative and quantitative data collection via primary research. The examination of the collected data reveals that deliveries usually occur within the scheduled week but most often not on the scheduled day. The noncompliance of involved departments to target specifications and department internal factors were identified as sources of inaccurate delivery dates. Consequently, the analysis concludes with both, external and internal improvement recommendations which are ranked according to their feasibility and possible impact considering a customer and a business centric perspective. A conceptual design of improvements identifies the composition of a reporting team to be very beneficial for both, Critical Parts Management and its customers. This term paper creates value to the department by offering a foundation to a process optimization approach. If further recommendations are implemented and continuously tracked, an increased customer satisfaction and a reduction of waste of time and money is expected to be accomplished