Seepex Expands Digital Range of Services to Include Remote Support

The new AR (Augmented Reality) Remote Support offers them real-time assistance. With this service, the Bottrop-based company is expanding its constantly growing range of digital offers. The “AR Assistant” app developed by Vodafone is used for this.

Unusual times call for unusual measures: The deployment of service technicians on site has often been almost impossible in the last few months. However, in order to provide customers with the best possible service even in times of a pandemic, Seepex is assisting its customers on site by means of an app in the form of AR-Remote Support. Together with Vodafone, the pump manufacturer tested the app for its suitability for everyday use and pushed ahead with its further development. At Seepex, the AR Assistant is already being used by service employees on site and experts at the company’s headquarters. Alexander Kuppe, Managing Director and responsible for Sales and Customer Service at Seepex, says: “The AR Assistant delivers real added value to our customers. The number of so-called first-time solutions, i.e. when a problem can be solved at the first attempt, has increased significantly. Our employees work much more effectively because the app provides them with even more time for the individual customers and minimizes the downtime of our pumps – which has a positive effect on the cost side. And we have also been able to increase customer satisfaction because the app allows us to provide them with even faster and more targeted support.”

"With AR Assistant, Vodafone brings specialist know-how available in companies in real time to where it is ultimately needed. In this way, the specialist at headquarters can make the work of the technician in the field much easier. And especially in Corona times, the simple collaboration from different locations is also a real advantage as a security aspect," says Alexander Saul, Managing Director Corporate Customers at Vodafone Germany.

No matter where the pump system has currently broken down, with the use of the new technology, quick "app assistance" is provided. All that is required is to download the free “AR Assistant” app, for example onto a mobile device. After arranging an appointment at short notice, the customer connects to the service technician at Seepex and receives audio-visual support for the diagnosis and troubleshooting, commissioning and regular maintenance of pumps. With the help of live video transmission and screen casting, Technical Support can work almost as if it were on site and provide customers with reliable and flexible support for upcoming service tasks via remote maintenance. This is not only practical for technicians, but also helps customers deal with questions that require a good deal of explanation. The app extends conventional video telephony with marking and drawing functions. The caller films the product and the expert can integrate 3D symbols into the live image or draw them on the screen to guide the caller step by step through the process. In addition to voice transmission, a chat function is also available. This makes communication in noisy surroundings such as machine rooms much easier. In addition, the collaborative sharing and editing of PDF documents is possible.

Communication occurs live and is therefore fast. Not only does the real-time communication eliminate waiting times for the service technician, but Seepex also enables simple and safe repair and maintenance with this service. The swift immediate assistance directly from the manufacturer means minimal maintenance effort even beyond the pandemic era while ensuring both cost and time savings. To round off the picture: In time-critical applications, the shorter plant downtime is of particular added value.