Saab has appointed a single company to handle its customer relationship management (CRM) services across seven countries in Europe, including the UK.

Activities were previously managed separately, with customer service centralised and marketing programmes managed by local partners in each European location.

In a bid to cut costs and improve customer service the UK solution will now be delivered by Arvato, who will have a team operating from Saab’s UK headquarters in Cranfield, with non-UK activity co-ordinated by a new multi-lingual European Customer Interaction Centre established at Arvato’s site in Twickenham, London.

The new strategy encompasses Saab’s sales, marketing, loyalty and customer service activities. Campaigns will use multiple channels, including SMS, internet, voice and email, and will focus on existing customers and prospects, as well as Saab’s 600-strong dealer network across Europe.

Niclas Medin, head of customer interaction centre operation, Saab Global Sales and brand operations, said: “Our strategic partnership with Arvato is critical to improving our customer experience across Europe.

“Through this new approach, we aim to improve customer satisfaction while also reducing our costs by up to 30%.

“Key to this strategy is harnessing the power of the data from the contact centres to inform our sales and marketing activity, enabling us to build long-term relationships with our customers.”