Düsseldorf, Germany, 2016-Jul-09 — /EPR Retail News/ — METRO GROUP – as minority partner – acquires a stake in the start-up “Deutsche Technikberatung” based in Cologne, one of the participants of the first Spacelab Accelerator Program of Media-Saturn this year. Deutsche Technikberatung regards itself as a “technical support for home users” and offers quick support for technical issues through a network of professional advisors. Selected and specially trained technical advisors assist private customers and small businesses, like for example restaurants, in all aspects relating to the purchase, installation, networking and bug fixing of modern technical devices.
A new TV, tablet or smart phone: increasingly powerful, increasingly connected. The digital world fascinates, but can sometimes also be confusing and complex. Private customers as well as smaller businesses appreciate a partner, who not only provides sound advice before the actual purchase but also offers support with the installation, configuration and occasional bug fixing. That is exactly the business area of Deutsche Technikberatung. Appointments with their technical advisors at the desired date can be arranged online or by phone. They visit the users to solve technical problems of all kinds at a fixed hourly rate.
“Deutsche Technikberatung is a new type of service and consultancy company – and that makes the investment so exciting for METRO GROUP“, says Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG. “In a world of rapidly growing performance and ever increasing interconnectivity of technical devices we have to support our customers even more comprehensively. The founders of Deutsche Technikberatung developed a clever business model that offers customers access to top qualified experts. One important reason why we decided to acquire a stake was that Deutsche Technikberatung, for the choice of its service staff, placed great emphasis on emotional intelligence and empathy of their technical advisors. We are convinced that this is an important key to future success. It is based on the idea that you can train technical know-how, but customer proximity, empathy and the skill to explain technical know-how is difficult to learn. A view that we fully share, given our understanding of customer focus.”
Till Steinmaier and Emre Akdagcik founded Deutsche Technikberatung in 2014 and are now managing partners of the company: “The partnership with METRO helps us deliver our idea even faster: we give a face to technology and want to enable as many people as possible to benefit from the advantages of modern technology without any hassle”, says Steinmaier. “Besides private users in particular also independent businesses are increasingly relying on a functioning technology. METRO is a natural partner for us in this respect whose sales lines Media Markt, Saturn and METRO Cash & Carry strongly simplify market access for our personalised technical support.”
The concept is paying off: the vast majority of the customers would – after the first contact – again select Deutsche Technikberatung in case of further technical questions and challenges. The innovative aspect is not only in shaping the new profession of a “technology advisor”, but mainly also in the technology that permits performing the services in the background.
METRO GROUP is one of the most important international retailing companies. It generated sales of some €59 billion in financial year 2014/15. The company operates over 2,000 locations in 29 countries and employs more than 220,000 people. The performance of METRO GROUP is based on the strength of its sales brands, which act independently on the market: METRO/MAKRO Cash & Carry, the international leader in the self-service wholesale trade; Media Markt and Saturn, the European market leader in consumer electronics retailing; and Real hypermarkets.
Contact:
Media Department
Telephone: +49 211 6886-4252
Telefax: +49 211 6886-2001
E-Mail: METRO GROUP: presse@metro.de
Source: Metro Group