• Care and maintenance at the forefront of minds

• Around 90,000 spare parts orderable around the clock

• More than 200 self-help videos with around 120,000 visits a month

In its worldwide service organisation, Miele concentrates not only on repairs but also increasingly on the care and maintenance of its products. The objective is to pre-empt possible faults before they occur and, in doing so, extend the service life of appliances. And if a fault does occur, Miele helps customers with a wide range of service products, not least by helping them to help themselves. 'Care instead of repair. Repair instead of replace' – is the philosophy behind these efforts. Furthermore, Miele is the first domestic appliance manufacturer worldwide to offer accessories from a 3D printer.

Washing machines, dishwashers or coffee machines which are in perfect condition are less prone to breaking down, achieve better results and consume less energy. Coffee machines, above all, profit from a little tender loving care. In a pilot project in the Netherlands, Miele offered maintenance packages which went beyond the usual and sent care products to customers together with other items in order to prevent faults occurring in the first place. With the CoffeeCare service, the number of service visits dropped within the space of a year by around 10% – together with associated CO2 emissions. In view of the success, Miele is now extending the concept to include Belgium, the UK and the USA. Further markets will follow.

'As far as possible, our aim is to avoid having to replace appliances due to a lack of improper care and maintenance', says Axel Kruse, Director of Service with Miele. 'Our claim as a premium player is to support customers in using their appliances for as long as possible', Kruse continues. 'In doing so, we are making our own considerable contribution towards reducing electronic waste and greater climate protection'.

2700 service technicians worldwide

When it comes to care, maintenance and repairs, Miele relies on the one hand on its award-winning factory service which employs 2700 technicians worldwide. In the age of digitalisation, there is also a new aspect: the involvement of customers themselves. Already, more than 200 step-by-step instruction sets are provided by Miele via Internet platforms such as YouTube, and the number is growing steadily. Just how well this service has been received is currently evidenced by the number of subscribers to the service, currently around 17,400 in total, and around 120,000 visits every month. In addition to this, service experts are able to provide further advice in video calls. There are currently test projects running in China and Germany. Through remote service and repairs by consumers, customers can often save both time and money. Remote software updates, too, are on the increase: Over recent days, Miele installed its one-millionth update – once again dispensing with the need for a service visit.

If, in the course of a repair, replacement parts are needed, customers can not only place orders for 90,000 spare parts but can rest assured that these will be available over a long period of time. 'We stock functional and genuine Miele spares for at least 15 years after series production ceases and are therefore able to ship fast', says Kruse.

Create accessories using a 3D printer

As the first domestic appliance manufacturer worldwide, Miele has been offering 3D printable accessories since 2020. With its free 3D4U service, Miele is above all addressing owners of so-called Fused Layer Modelling printers. This printer type melts a plastic filament in its nozzle. This creates a thin thread of molten plastic which is deposited layer for layer to create contoured parts according to technical drawings. The final result is a printed object. Via 3D4U, nozzles, hand-pieces or even soap bubble attachments for vacuum cleaners as well as kitchen aids such as deco dispensers can be made. Interested parties without their own 3D printer can purchase selected components from the Miele online shop or via an app direct. Furthermore, they can also submit their own suggestions and proposals to the project team. 'We try to empower customers to fulfil their own individual dreams at home', says Kruse, explaining the benefits. More information here.

Accessibility around the clock

Miele Service can be reached around the clock, 7 days a week. The entire service portfolio, including operating instructions, a trouble-shooting guide, spare parts, accessories, maintenance offers, extended warranties and product advice: www.miele.de/service.
 

Company profile: Miele is the world's leading manufacturer of premium domestic appliances including cooking, baking and steam-cooking appliances, refrigeration products, coffee makers, dishwashers and laundry and floor care products. Their product portfolio also includes dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers for commercial use as well as washer-disinfectors and sterilisers for use in medical and laboratory applications. Founded in 1899, the company has eight production plants in Germany, one each in Austria, the Czech Republic, China, Romania and Poland as well as two production plants belonging to its Italian medical technology subsidiary Steelco. Sales in the 2022 business year amounted to around € 5.43 bn. Miele is represented with its own sales subsidiaries and via importers in almost 100 countries/regions. Throughout the world, the family-run enterprise, now in its fourth generation, employs a workforce of around 23,300, of which approx. 11,900 employees work in Germany. The company has its headquarters in Gütersloh in Westphalia.