This year marks the 20th anniversary of Scania Assistance, the global lifeline for trucks, buses and engines, helping drivers when their vehicles break dow and much more besides.

The Scania-run lifeline, which turns 20 years old in 2018, has been helping Scania drivers in more than 50 different countries get their vehicles into the nearest workshop and back on the road as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Scania Assistance began when the brand recognised there was a need for a single point of contact to help customers who found themselves in a broken-down vehicle many miles from home, often in a different country.

With a central administrative office in Södertälje, Scania Assistance also deals with invoice handling, complaints, advice and information, bookings, and insurance and accident matters. One good sign is that of the near 200,000 cases Scania Assistance handles each year, relatively few turn into customer complaints, and fewer still are cross-border complaints. And when a cross-border matter needs attention, the head office in Södertälje is able to turn it around within 15 days, compared to the 65-day period of a few years ago.

As Scania has developed from heavy vehicle manufacturing to transport solutions provision, Scania Assistance has developed too. Each new truck generation sees technology and services become more complex, while Scania’s embrace of digitalisation is providing a wealth of customer data. It’s a subject close to Lars’s heart, as he includes the development of new markets and services in his portfolio.

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About the Author: John Loughran