Customer awareness key to investment confidence

Consumers and end-users in the pumps industry must become more educated and aware of product ranges and technological advances before investing in their next purchase, emphasises pumps products and solutions company Wilo Pumps product manager Thomas Plasket and business development manager Alex Andjelkovic.

“Consumers cannot simply look at the price of a pump and decide on their purchase. Investing large sums of money requires other considerations, such as technological progress, efficiencies and energy-saving potential,” says Andjelkovic.

He adds that, about 10% of global energy use can be attributed to the operation of pumps, and consumers who are aware of this, for example, would be more likely to buy a pump with low energy consumption.

Another challenge regarding the lack of consumer knowledge is that “consumers do not know what is available. They just want a pump they can run, but they do not know the consequences of buying just any pump. We have products with a high investment cost, but long-term savings potential. But they do not see this; they see an inexpensive product in the present, which will inevitably cost them more in the future,” Plasket avers.

Further, consumers are often unaware of how quickly the industry evolves to adapt to technological advances and innovations.

These factors have encouraged Wilo Pumps to educate clients, making them aware of options that comply with modern trends and innovations.

Subsequently, the biggest opportunity for growth in the pumps industry is being able to “learn from the lack”, says Plasket, explaining that this led to WiloCare being established – a proactive and convenient service designed for clients.

WiloCare was also developed to allow the Wilo service department to ensure that pumps and systems run at the highest efficiency and reliability levels. “With WiloCare, the customer can easily and comfortably ensure that their pumps or systems are always ready for operation. It ensures optimal, energy efficient operation based on data transferred to us from the pumps or systems to take care of fault messages, trouble-shooting and optimisation,” explains Andjelkovic.

Similarly, Andjelkovic says investing any amount of money should be a journey. “There should be a beginning, a point where we find out what your needs are, and the supplying of consumer needs accordingly. The last chapter should be service and after-sales service.”

Wilo-Solution Finder
Wilo Pumps has further integrated automation and the Internet of Things by launching the Wilo-Solution Finder in Dortmund, Germany, earlier this year, enabling the company to use digital application consultancy and solution finding.

The system customises client dialogue, enabling Wilo Pumps to digitally provide clients with optimum consultation online at any time, explains Wilo digital customer interface programme manager Bern Strübig. Wilo Pumps now offers three interlinked solution channels.

The Online Catalogue offers filter options for searching, while Wilo-World is a graphical representation of the application environment for Wilo products. The third channel, the Guided Selection, aids further in consultation, where relevant products are narrowed down to the target product for the required application, guaranteeing transparent consultation, and offering a timeous confirmation of the product recommendation, Strübig concludes.