ZDK Vice President and Federal Guild Master Wilhelm Hülsdonk praised the great commitment of all ten award-winning car dealerships. "Receiving the Service Award from an expert jury is proof of the extraordinary customer orientation of these companies."
The Service Award jury is made up of representatives from the "kfz-betrieb" editorial team and the sponsors Berner, Fuchs Schmierstoffe and Pirelli. After evaluating the many applications received for the coveted award, they visited the best authorized workshops on site. They assessed the services offered by the dealerships, marketing, customer approach and support as well as company and employee management. "All participating authorized workshops of car manufacturers and importers have creative marketing and service strategies. They occupy top positions in the German automotive industry and do not have to worry much about their future," emphasized "kfz-betrieb" editor-in-chief Wolfgang Michel.
The jury members were particularly impressed by the multi-brand strategies of the Pickel dealership. With the new "wheel clinic", the tire store and the bodywork, paint and glass center, it was able to win many new customers. The orders for wheel repair, for example, show that the addition of new business areas has paid off. From January to April 2016, Pickel's specialists repaired 350 rims. "The repair of rims is well received by our customers because they know that they save a lot of money compared to buying new rims," explained Pickel Managing Director Frank Minnich.
During the Automechanika trade fair in Frankfurt am Main, the jury rewarded the Erlangen-based company's entry into new business areas and its multi-brand service with first place in the Service Award. "We are very proud of Autohaus Pickel. Not only because it won the Service Award 2016. It is also an extremely innovative partner of Mercedes Benz," said Tilo Bigalke, Head of Customer Service Passenger Cars at Mercedes-Benz Cars Sales Germany, praising the services provided by the Pickel team.
The top ten of the 2016 Service Awards
1st place: Autohaus Pickel in Erlangen, Mercedes and Smart
2nd place: Autohaus Märtin in Freiburg, BMW and Mini
3rd place: Autohaus Paul in Passau, Mercedes
4th place: Autohaus Lensch in Neumünster, Opel, Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Saab and Smart
5th place: Auto Levy in Düsseldorf, Toyota and Lexus
6th place: Autohaus Schönauen in Wuppertal, Mercedes
7th place: Autohaus Hahn in Schorndorf, VW
8th place: Autohaus Bleker in Bocholt, Citroen
9th place: Autohaus Jepsen in Neutraubling, Audi
10th place: Autohaus Zellman in Berlin, Opel
10th place: Autohaus Gäng in Borna, Opel
"kfz-betrieb" is the most widely read trade magazine in the automotive industry and has been informing the automotive trade and service sector for over 100 years. "kfz-betrieb" is the official organ of the German automotive trade (ZDK), the professional interest group for around 38,000 car dealerships and workshops. News from the entire automotive industry is available at www.kfz-betrieb.de and in the daily newsletter. The parent company Vogel Business Media is Germany's largest trade media company with 100+ trade journals, 100+ web portals, 100+ business events as well as numerous mobile offerings and international activities. Its headquarters are in Würzburg. The company celebrates its 125th birthday in 2016.
