Technology Lowers Costs and Improves Customer Experience

Today’s customers—whether corporate or private—expect digital solutions to supplement the services already provided by moving companies. UTS has risen to this challenge and has developed various solutions. We asked ourselves the following fundamental questions:

• Which digital possibilities do UTS members want to offer to their customers?

• What does an optimal customer journey look like for the customer?

• Which possible new services could be developed using technology?

• How should this technology be designed so that UTS can grow quickly and easily with new digital services and new end users?

• How can we pool our expertise and invest as a group, using the strengths of the UTS group?

Since 2020, UTS customers and UTS members use two SaaS (Software as a Service) products from UTS: UTS Book-A-Move and UTS On-Site Viewer.

UTS Book-A-Move allows customers to configure and book their move within minutes. “It was our goal to allow our customers to configure, plan and book their move online, just like a flight or a holiday trip,” said Axel Schurbaum, Managing Director, UTS Germany.

With Book-A-Move, we have created a technological platform that enables all services offered by moving companies to be configured and booked in real time. The whole process for consultation, cost calculation and planning has been radically simplified.

It was important for us to meet not only the needs of customers, but also to fulfil the expectations of our UTS members. Special programming allows our members to manage the whole process with the tool, from the first inquiry through to the booking, using their own pricing structures. The leads come through their own web sites and are handled in real time by the system. Customers configure their desired services during the booking process and immediately get a price valid for their required move date.

In the third quarter of this year, the system will be extended to allow European moves to be booked online. From this point on, UTS will be able to offer the system to moving companies outside Germany, also as a white label solution. The new version is available in several languages, it takes into account the different VAT rates, and can be used for domestic and pan-European moves in every European country. If the moving company has several locations, this can also be reflected in the system.

UTS On-Site Viewer is a video survey and online appointment system for the surveyor. It was developed to answer the question, “How can we reduce the costs of physical surveys while at the same time improving the customer’s experience and simplifying the work of the surveyor?”

The UTS On-Site Viewer fulfils these criteria. Customers book their survey dates online with no need to download anything. Both customers and surveyors organize their appointments and receive proactive support from the system. The surveyor can record the video survey, enabling them to work on the details without the customer being present. Customers receive a number of benefits: survey appointments can be arranged more quickly, the survey process is combined with advice from an expert, and they receive the quotation more quickly. Using this tool, UTS members optimize their sales process, reduce survey costs and improve service levels (for example, making surveys possible in the evenings or at weekends).

Every digitalization project begins with a vision about how the result will look, and a 360° view that always puts the customer first. During implementation, speed is essential, together with recognition that not everything has to be perfect. Above all, we support UTS members in setting up their digital customer connections.

With the SaaS products mentioned above, UTS creates real added value for customers and moving companies. This dovetails perfectly with our sustainability strategy. Using Book-A-Move and UTS On-Site Viewer, we help to reduce CO2 emissions. These products were successfully implemented wherever the staff of the moving companies were open to the new way of working. It is also important that the added value of these solutions is communicated properly to customers. If these points are observed, moving companies in Germany and Europe can open up new lines of business and book revenue resulting from up-to-date service offerings.