CMA CGM - Sales and customer service development

”We've been doing business the same way for a long time, and as the market changes, change is inevitable. We came to a situation where we had to step on the gas, and we had to get the team involved in stepping on the gas,” said Mikael Ruhala, General Director for Finland and Baltics at CMA CGM.

In recent years, the freight business has almost turned upside down - in previous years, it was a seller's market when there was a shortage of container capacity around the world. This led the industry to invest heavily in increasing container capacity, and now the market has turned upside down - there are more containers available than there are goods to transport. In the past, orders were taken, now you have to work hard to sell.

CMA CGM identified the need to develop its own activities in line with the changed market situation. In addition to the need to increase the level of activity in sales and customer service, the aim was also to increase customer satisfaction. To meet this need, the search for a partner was launched, and More Than Training Company's Janne Kolehmainen and Johanna Vilkuna.

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CMA CGM

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Sales and customer service coaching partner

”We were interested in coaching that combines different methods,” says CMA CGM Head of HR and Communications for Finland and Baltics, Jaana Kinnunen the criteria for selection. ”The approach proposed by the MTTC was to assemble a core team to lead the change and train them as coaches, who coach their own teams using the library of materials available. The growth of internal coaching skills is a big deal and the fact that this ongoing coaching and the library that supports it will remain our modus operandi.”

In the programme, MTTC trained the country team leaders to coach the sales and customer service teams internally, and initially also coached all sales and customer service staff directly. The internal coaches were supported by a coach's handbook and a comprehensive online coaching package to coach their own teams on an agreed schedule and rhythm. In addition, the steering groups continue to ensure that management is also held accountable for the implementation of the change.

”The difficulty with leadership is that it's one thing among many, and it takes work to keep it on the agenda,” laughs Jaana. ”But little by little, something is happening. The MTTC coaching sessions gave everyone something to think about and inspiration to do. Now it's up to the internal coaches to decide how to continue the coaching. We will continue to invest in this. That's why it's good that Janne and Johanna actively keep in touch with us and support us in our leadership. They really work hard to keep in touch, and you can see that their aim is to put the lessons learned from the coaching already done into practice and to see the results.”

The cooperation between MTTC and CMA CGM is still in its infancy, but there is already something to be praised at this stage.

”Sales and customer service have found each other. Of course, there are other factors, such as the fact that we have integrated our processes. But this coaching has also played a part in that convergence,” concludes Mikael.

Jaana highlights the MTTC's unique style: ”Your style doesn't suit everyone, but your versatility is an absolute advantage. The coaches also have different styles, which is good, because everyone has something for themselves. It was an enrichment that also brought energy to the coaching days, for example when the rhythm changed during the day as the coach changed.”

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In addition to the references described above, we have carried out a number of different types of client projects, and we are happy to share the lessons learned with you.