Samsung Concentrates on Customer Support to Grow Further

Gary Rowden was appointed to the role of Sales & Marketing Director for Samsung Techwin Europe in February 2012. This was a new position and was created as a result of a wide ranging review of how the company promotes and supports its products throughout Europe. In this interview with GIT-SECURITY.com, Gary provides an insight into how the company is committed to a strategy that will allow it to better ­respond to the sales and technical support requirements of its customers.

GIT-SECURITY.com: Gary, you have been in your new role for a number of months and although time has a habit of flying by, are you yet at a stage where you are able to talk about any major changes the company intends to make?

Gary Rowden: I am fortunate to be leading a highly professional team which has achieved significant success over the last five years and so I see my role primarily to be about introducing new ideas which builds on that success rather than making any radical changes to the existing sales and technical teams infrastructure.

Which areas of the business do you think can be improved?

Gary Rowden: Our overall objective is to reinforce Samsung's position as a security brand which can be trusted and that we are a company that people like dealing with.

Can you explain what you mean by this?

Gary Rowden: Samsung has been acknowledged by independent research companies as one of the top three European security brands and although until recently our strength has predominantly been with analogue technology, we now also have a comprehensive range of IP & network products. It is however simply not be enough to be a one-stop-shop for access control and video surveillance solutions or to have products, many of which incorporate technology that is unique to Samsung, that are regarded as ‘Best in Class'. In co-operation with our network of distributors we need therefore to back-up these high performance, reliable and price competitive products with unbeatable support services.

Do you think that Samsung has been offering the required level of pre and post sales support to its customers?

Gary Rowden: In the main, categorically yes. The feedback I have received from the marketplace is that the vast majority of our customers are full of praise for the efforts we make to help them win new business and they are equally impressed with the expertise of our technical teams. There is no doubt that the free system design service and the free technical support that we offer is highly valued, as is the three year warranty which underscores our confidence in the reliability and robustness of our products. However, to establish trust, you have to sometimes be brutally honest with yourself and with customers and in this respect, there is no doubt that in some areas of our operation we have been a victim of our own success and need to do better.

What do you mean by saying that you have been ‘a victim of your own success'?

Gary Rowden: A: Put simply, our sales growth over the last couple of years in particular has exceeded even our high expectations and as a result we have experienced growing pains in that the demand for our pre and post sales support services has increased almost exponentially? Offering free technical support is an excellent way to generate goodwill but you have to be able to be resourced to deliver it.

Is this not a major stumbling block for ­Samsung?

Gary Rowden: We are determined that it will not be. We are reacting to the challenge by recruiting additional experienced and knowledgeable technical support personnel who will be based at our head office. It is equally important of course that we have people on the ground at a local level who can speak the relevant language and understand local market conditions. That is why we have already invested in people who are based at our offices in France, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain and Russia, as well as at our head office in the UK. Our products come from Korea but the future of Samsung Techwin Europe Ltd will be driven by local managers who will be able to get close to customers to listen, understand and fulfil their service level requirements. As well as recruiting good people, we are also putting processes in place to ensure new and existing customers can more readily obtain the information they require. We will shortly be launching a new multi-language Pan-European website where installers, system integrators, consultants and end-users will have access to comprehensive information on the full range of Samsung's product and solutions and as a result, will be able to choose the correct combination of products for their project.

What does the future hold for the professional security division of Samsung?

Gary Rowden: With the continued support of our loyal customers all across Europe, and we intend to do all that is necessary to continue to earn their trust and loyalty, we have an extremely exciting future. Our IP network based product portfolio places us in an excellent position to work with our customers to win new business. Until recently, Video over IP was only perceived as a solution for large projects but we are now seeing the technology increasingly utilised in small to medium sized installations and so the potential for growth is enormous. To make it easy for customers who are looking for a gradual transition from an existing analogue system to a full IP network based surveillance solution we have also accelerated our programme to integrate Samsung cameras, DVRs and NVRs with video management software offered by leading independent software development companies. This provides customers with the option for Samsung products to be controlled and monitored alongside equipment produced by other manufacturers. Axxon, Aimetis, Digifort, Griffid, Ipronet, Exacq, Genetec, ISS, Milestone, Mirasys, ONssi and Seetec are among the list of VMS companies that we has been working with because of their ability to offer ‘open' software.

Do you think the majority of installers have the knowledge to install a Video over IP system?

Gary Rowden: For every installer or system integrator who is knowledgeable about network based security systems, there are probably still many more who do not yet know what questions to ask when they have a requirement to specify an IP network based solution. As a major stakeholder in the security industry, we feel it is essential that we share our knowledge and expertise in respect of IP network solutions and technologies with our existing and potential customers. Our Smart Security philosophy is in fact all about how customers, with our help, can upgrade from an analogue system to an IP and network based solution in the smartest way for their business. Over the coming months we will therefore be offering training courses which will educate installers and system integrators how they can recommend a Samsung IP network based security solution and be confident that it will meet, if not exceed, their expectations. We want to take the mystery out of installing an IP and network solution and by doing so, demonstrate to customers that with the correct advice and guidance, they need not have any fear of embracing what is truly an exciting technology which offers so many benefits, not the least of which is the opportunity to gain maximum advantage from the latest HD megapixel cameras. 

Do you think Samsung has created a problem by introducing so many new products and technologies in what has been a relatively short period of time?

Gary Rowden: Much of the technology which has been introduced by the security industry has its origins in the massive investment that companies like Samsung have made in consumer products. Other technological advances have come about as a result of a response to evolving customers' requirements. Whatever the reason, the pace at which new technology has been introduced is not generally the problem. Any difficulties have usually come because of the lack of training on how to implement the new technology and a misunderstanding of what can be achieved from it. Training is therefore at the heart of our commitment to build customer trust in Samsung and its products and with this in mind, our customers all across Europe will shortly be invited to take advantage of the education programmes being offered by the recently established SAMSUNG IP Institute (SIPI).