Customer Support
Digitalisation has been an ongoing focal point for MAKEEN Energy in recent years. We want to harness technology to make life easier for our customers and our own people. One of our proud achievements in 2024 was the roll-out of our new digital platform designed to streamline service and maintenance operations, increase transparency, and ensure that our customers get the best possible support.
The traditional procedure when a technician perform service on a customer’s machines has long been to rely on paper forms or Excel sheets. This works, but it makes tracking work orders, accessing equipment history, generating service reports, or managing spare parts more laboursome than it needs to be.
For years, we have wanted to find a way to make it easier for our customers to see maintenance schedules, execution of work orders, request service, or access past service records. If they need information, it’s inefficient to have to make multiple calls or send emails, waiting for updates. In short, we wanted to smooth out this process with the help of modern technology. The solution is our new digital Service and Maintenance platform, which has already become a stand-out success.
Benefits
Shortest route between machine and technician
Complete service record and asset control
Easier and more transparent service
Online request creation with real-time updates
Unique QR codes provide access to individual machine records
All-in-one digital service
Service and Maintenance is a new module on our ERP system, IFS. In this new digital space, we create the shortest possible route between our customers’ machines and our service network. It stores data not just on different models of our equipment, but on the specific, individual customer machines. For example, each individual filling machine on an LPG filling carousel has its own complete service record easily accessible on the platform, offering customers complete control over the work we do on their assets.
This platform offers a mobile solution called Mobile Work Order, which allows technicians and supervisors to see their assigned tasks in real time, create reports instantly with photo documentation, request spare parts directly through the system, and access equipment history and technical data.
One of our victories in development of this system was the introduction of QR codes on all new equipment from our production sites in Sri Lanka and France. All new machines come with a QR code printed on a metal plate. Instead of searching for manuals or past reports, technicians can simply scan the code to retrieve everything they need about a specific machine or create a new service task on it.
But this transformation isn’t just about internal efficiency. It’s about making things easier and more transparent for our customers.
Transparency, efficiency, and control
Through the integrated customer portal, customers have more control than ever. They can submit service requests online and track progress in real time. Automatic email updates keep them informed at every stage, from when a request is received to when it is planned, started, completed, and when the final report is available. The portal provides full access to maintenance history, upcoming visits, and service reports. Ordering spare parts has also become much more efficient, as the customer can put in an order directly or approve a technician’s recommendations for new orders.
This means no more guesswork, no more chasing down updates, and complete transparency in the service process. No details are left out, so customers see exactly what is happening in real time. For customers with service contracts, this level of insight is crucial. They want to know they are getting the value they pay for, and this system delivers that transparency.
The result of a complex testing process
Creating this platform was a massive effort involving over 3,000 emails exchanged between teams and more than 6,000 work hours invested in development. We provided over 500 hours of training for our technicians and conducted real-world testing with customers like Pergás in Porto and CLC in Madeira.
These pilot projects proved crucial, as they allowed us to iron out the kinks in the initial versions of the platform. We are immensely grateful to Pergás and CLC for agreeing to let us test this and accepting the inevitable delays and system adjustments that came with a new system like this. Through collaboration, we fine-tuned the platform into a powerful tool that our customers now rely on daily.
Ongoing development and integration
The rollout has already begun in Germany, Belgium, France, Morocco, Denmark, and Portugal, with Brazil next in line. By the end of the year, we expect 100 technicians to be using this system, with continuous improvements along the way. Looking ahead, we plan to integrate Service and Maintenance with our shipping and finance systems, allowing for automated invoicing for service work and spare parts, seamless spare parts ordering from within the platform, and even greater coordination between technicians, logistics, and customers.
