It’s been said many times, in many businesses across the globe, that everything would be fine, were it not for the customers. It’s always they who cause the problems. Without customers making unreasonable demands on you, life would be a dream. Well, if you have ever said that, it just might be that a company in Germany could be the answer to your prayers.
Amovea in Eschborn bills itself as a ‘moving expert’. The company is an intermediary, putting itself firmly between the moving company and the corporate or commercial customer. All the mover has to do is – move. What’s more, there is a chance that the moving company will make more money in the long run too. Sounds ideal? Maybe it is.
Johannes Wörle is the Managing Director of Amovea (pronounced: ay – move – ear). He learned the moving business many years ago working with Hertling before branching out to create his own business as a moving expert – ‘broker’ if you prefer. He doesn’t have any vehicles, packing crews or warehouses. But he does understand customers. He knows what they need. He finds out what they want. And he makes quite sure that they get both.
The principle of the Amovea service is simple. Johannes gets the business, performs a pre-move survey, puts the job out to tender, then helps the customer decide which quotation is right for them. “It’s not always the cheapest quote that wins,” said Johannes. “Very often a person has a recommendation from a friend or previous experience that influences their decision. My job is to get comparable quotes and let the customer make up their own mind.”
Johannes chooses the companies for each tender from a list of trusted partners that he has built up over many years in the industry. He provides them all with the same survey so everyone is quoting for the same thing. He then handles all the communication so when the customer needs advice he’s there to provide it. “Just handling the survey saves the companies money,” said Johannes. “By taking responsibility for all the promotion and reducing the ‘customer service’ overhead it’s often possible for the movers to make more on the bottom line than they would have done handling the jobs themselves.”
The contract remains between the customer and the mover. Amovea simply takes a previously agreed commission from each job.
For the customer there are advantages too. It’s not necessary to escort multiple surveyors around the house; they are relieved of the difficulty of assessing the various, often confusing offers; are guaranteed quotations from three competent companies; and know that they have the support of Johannes and his team throughout the whole process. It is also possible for Johannes to include relocation services should they be required.
Johannes has a very simple way of recruiting companies onto his panel of preferred suppliers. “I just give them a job and see how well they perform,” he said. “If they do well, they get more.” Now we all know it’s not that simple. Companies don’t get on the list unless Johannes has good reason to believe that they are up to the job. Over the years he has become quite good at spotting the most appropriate companies that will provide his customers with the range of services on offer. But he doesn’t have any fixed criteria. It’s not necessary, for example, for a company to be a member of FIDI or its local association. “There are good and bad companies everywhere,” said Johannes.
And Johannes is looking to expand his list of suppliers, not just in Germany but throughout Europe and worldwide. So if you are of the opinion that the moving business would be great if it weren’t for all the customers, contact Johannes Wörle. Perhaps your dreams will come true.
www.amovea.de
Photos: Johannes Wörle
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