A company in the dental industry was planning to launch a new product that required a lot of explanation: a system for the design and manufacture of 3D-printed dental prosthetics such as crowns, bridges and splints. The interim manager was tasked with managing the time-critical product launch in DACH, China, the USA and the UK. She worked closely with the Marketing Director, Product Management and the Digital Prosthetics department.
The market for 3D-printed prosthetics is young and characterized by the need to secure long-term market access for the consumables via software and hardware.
Dental technicians have so far produced crowns, bridges and splints. With 3D-printed dental prosthetics, dentists will be able to provide these services themselves. The majority of both target groups do not yet trust the new technology.
Customer experience journey forms the basis for the marketing concept
The interim manager's status analysis revealed that the company's previous marketing approaches were not suitable for market entry, market development and the new product's target group. She therefore developed a strategy for market entry and long-term development that met the customer requirements and the long-term management of the complex product in the market.
Cyclical phase model developed for lead development and contact management
As a central building block, the interim manager developed a phase model for lead development and contact management. The model was based on the key needs of customers in the opinion-forming and decision-making process, usage and post-purchase phases. The basis for this was the concept of the Customer Experience Journey. This model forms the basis for the development and introduction of the global marketing concept. The interim manager developed it together with the relevant departments, such as sales and product management, as well as with representatives from the launch countries.
The cyclical phase model consists of modules for lead generation, lead development, conclusion, implementation, service and customer loyalty. The interim manager defined specific goals, content and KPIs for each module. A key focus was on customer satisfaction and follow-up business so that the system would prevail over competitors and a high market share could be achieved.
Inherent interdisciplinary and division of labor cooperation within the company
In each module, the relevant specialist departments work together in an interdisciplinary and division of labor manner. The interim manager initiated the necessary adjustments to the organization and processes at headquarters and in the country organizations. For example, new roles and functions such as Technical Sales and Service and Support were installed. In addition, the IT architecture was adapted to the new data to be collected and linked.
Targeted development of first movers and early adopters into multipliers
For the market entry, the interim manager specifically addressed first movers and early adopters. Suitable and open-minded customers were also developed into multipliers. A business excellence team was also created to moderate and manage the transformation process, the launch and the long-term go-to-market planning of the digital prosthetics division. It ensures:
- Systematic market entry and development
- Strategic and comparable product management in all markets
- Optimal customer orientation and, in particular, customer loyalty to secure market access and increase follow-up business and market share
- Optimal Planning basis for resource allocation
- Measurable process efficiency via KPIs
- Operative framework for action for the organization
- Optimal implementation in the organization and interdisciplinary internal collaboration for targeted customer development
