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- Customer-Centric Management
Coway intends to enhance its brand value by building long-term relationships of trust with its customers. We are always attentive to the opinions of our customers and all our actions and judgments are guided by the goal of customer satisfaction. In addition, we strive to provide the best products and services and respond quickly and accurately to our customers' needs.
For effective Voice of the Customer (VOC) management, Coway has established a process of collect as follows: receive VOC data → analyze the data → identify improvement tasks → proactively resolve issues. By monitoring high-risk VOCs, we strive for real-time process-oriented management rather than results-oriented post-facto management. We segment customer complaints to route them to the appropriate departments for improvement actions. In addition, we classify VOC categories by severity and treat critical issues as urgent VOCs, which we immediately escalate to managers so that policy decisions can be made quickly to reduce complaint factors.
Coway conducts satisfaction surveys by service touch points, such as ordering, installation, visits, customer services and call centers, to understand all customer experiences and identify the improvements needed. Based on the survey results, Coway communicates the necessary measures to the relevant departments and works with them to achieve the improvements.
Customer Satisfaction Survey Process
We also conduct an annual customer satisfaction survey (NPS) to monitor our customer satisfaction index and implement activities to improve satisfaction. As a result of these efforts, we achieved improved results in the 2022 NPS survey.
Customer Satisfaction Survey Results (Unit: points)
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
Coway operates a customer complaint and report center to protect the rights and interests of consumers in relation to the products and services provided by Coway and discloses the rate and number of consumer complaints handled through reports.
In addition, Coway obtained the Consumer Centered Management (CCM) certification from the Korea Fair Trade Commission in 2021 and has maintained certified status, based on efforts to collect and respond to consumer opinions through various channels. Coway is doing its best to protect the rights and interests of consumers.
Coway conducts product warranties for each item as follows in accordance with the Consumer Dispute Resolution Standards (notified by the Fair Trade Commission) and the standard terms and conditions for contracts. These provide standards of agreement or recommendations to reduce the possibility of disputes and resolve disputes smoothly, in accordance with Coway’s principle of considering the customer's position first.
Coway's business model evolves with our customers, as we seek to gain their satisfaction and trust by offering them products and services directly at the point of contact. Through product and service innovation, we offer our customers new experiences and add value to their lives. By continuously examining customer satisfaction, we grow with our customers by providing them with personalized care throughout their lives.
In the summer of 2021, we introduced a special spare parts service for product hygiene management as part of a pilot project. In 2022, we made this a regular service and expanded its scope. We are also expanding communications to improve customer service by posting instructions, troubleshooting videos, and self-care videos for more products on our website. In 2023, we plan to expand the Reassurance Photo Service, which provides customers with post-inspection photos. This service is currently only available for ice water purifiers, but we plan to extend its scope to general water purifiers.
Customer Satisfaction Management System (ISO10002) Certification
Coway has been recognized for its customer-service quality through the Customer Satisfaction Management System (ISO10002) certification from the Korean Management Registrar (KMR) for four consecutive years. The ISO10002 certification is an international certification awarded to businesses that systematically and reliably respond to customer needs and expectations according to the customer satisfaction management system standards established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Following the first acquisition of ISO10002 certification in September 2019, Coway was found to be continually conformant at the 2022 renewal review and it has maintained the certification for four consecutive years.
Consumer Centered Management (CCM) Certification
In 2021, Coway obtained the Consumer Centered Management (CCM) certification awarded by the Fair Trade Commission. Driven by firmwide digital transformation, we strive to improve customer experiences, listening to customers via online and offline channels and responding appropriately to customer feedback. We operate the Infinite Responsibility Committee under the direct control of the CEO to promptly reflect customer feedback in our business activities as a whole. We also introduced a systematic ethical management system to promptly respond to privacy incidents and other issues related to safety. We will take the lead in consumer centered management on the basis of digital transformation and sharpen our competitiveness to deliver world-class customer satisfaction.
Designated the 2022 Customer Favorite in the Water Purifier/Bed Category
Coway was awarded first place in the 2022 Korea Net Promoter Score (KNPS) for water purifiers and beds, respectively, in the survey organized by the Korea Management Association Consulting (KMAC). The KNPS is a survey that models the willingness of customers to recommend a company's products and services to others based on their experiences, and the survey showed that Coway received many recommendations from customers. This award attests Coway’s success in increasing customer value through continuous innovation and improving customer satisfaction with differentiated services.
Reliable Photo Service
In recent years, consumers have become increasingly conscious of hygiene and in response, we are providing the Reliable Photo Service, which is available for customers who use Coway’s iced water purifiers. This services enables users to check their products through photos sent by the Coway service CODY after maintenance visits. The professional service CODY thoroughly cleans the product inside and outside, and replaces water filters every two to six months as scheduled. Through the photos the service the CODY sends, customers can make sure that their products are well maintained and retain confidence in our service quality. In addition, we send an “e-maintenance card” to our customers before and after service visits by our CODYs to inform customers of how their products are maintained, and provide diverse customer services, such as FAQ services and live chats.
Self-managing Products and Mobile Push Notification Services
In response to increases in contactless services in everyday life and changes in the major groups of consumers, Coway is introducing self-managing products that allow customers to self-maintain their appliances. Customers can readily maintain products without visits from a service CODY, by using the tools, self-management guides, and online user manuals we send on a regular basis.
We also send push notifications regarding when to replace and maintain filters. We provide our customers with peerless, customized services and communicate with them through push notifications for all service areas, including ordering, installation, maintenance, after-sales service, and returns. This saves our customers time and money without compromising convenience.
Bidet Braille Guide Service
To facilitate the use of Coway bidets for the visually impaired, we offer bidet braille stickers that can be affixed to the control panel. Anyone who uses a Coway bidet can order these stickers through the Customer Service Center. Along with the bidet braille sticker kit, we provide an audio instruction manual to improve product accessibility for the visually impaired.
Total Care Service
Coway has established and operated a new organization to provide total care services to strengthen sanitation services. As water is precious to our bodies, we use water purifiers to drink clean water. To provide clean water, water purifiers themselves must always be hygienic and clean. To ensure hygiene, Coway regularly visits customers through our Heart Service to replace filters, check tanks, and inspect the appearance of purifiers.
For some products, we also offer a total care service that provides one-time free replacement of water flow channels and faucets during the rental period. We are also working to prevent customer inconvenience by proactively identifying hygiene conditions and responding to risks before they occur. From the second half of 2023, we will implement a hygiene service that includes filter and parts replacements as well as hygiene checks to help manage the hygiene of the growing number of self-care customers.
AR Smart Catalog
The AR Smart Catalog is a convenient contactless customer service we provide using Augmented Reality (AR) technology. The catalog allows customers to place a virtual product in real space in real size to see how the product would fit into the space. When users aim their smartphone at their desired location, a 3D image of the product is created on the screen. Users can compare up to three products by changing the colors and styles of the product and adjusting the location of the products on the screen.
Moreover, users can touch the control panels of the products as if they were real to experience the major functions of the products to experience and feel the products in detail. In the case of air purifiers, the AR Catalog shows major functions along with the air flow for each mode three dimensionally and suggests the ideal location for the product. The AR Catalog fuses the virtual products with the real space to allow customers to find ideal spots for the product in their space and experience the products virtually.
Real-time CODY Matching Service
As the demand for contactless services is growing, we provide a real-time CODY matching service based on digital technology in order to efficiently meet the needs of customers. Over 12,000 CODYs across the nation are providing product-related counseling services to customers in real time. When a customer requests a counseling service, a CODY who is most familiar with the location of the customer is assigned to provide professional, customized service. We provide customers with the most convenient shopping environment possible by organically connecting our powerful offline sales infrastructure with online channels.
Official Online Mall Coway.com
Coway.com, Coway’s official online shopping mall, is a digital rental platform with upgraded commerce functions that allow customers to easily rent or purchase Coway products by comparing diverse products. The mall site helps customers find the right products for their needs by recommending products that suit their lifestyles. In line with recent consumption trends, Coway.com is expanding communication with customers. Through the company’s own live commerce channel Coway Live, Coway plans to share useful information with customers through online housewarming parties, best reviews, and other diverse contents.
Coway always puts itself in its customers' shoes and asks, "How can we make their lives easier?" We continuously expand our research and development capabilities to offer products and services that customers really need.
WINNER, a Competitive B2B/B2G Air Purifier
We developed the WINNER model, a B2B/B2G customized model that is the smallest 35-pyung (1245 sqft) air purifier in its class. It boasts class 1 energy consumption efficiency and provides a ventilation alarm by applying a CO2 sensor. In addition, Coway has developed a filter system optimized for B2B/B2G environments, providing convenience by enabling easy management and replacement of multiple filters.
SkinPlus Water Softener
In August 2022, Coway launched the SkinPlus Water Softener, which allows customers to select different types of water according to their lifestyle. SkinPlus Water Softener is a product that uses double-composite filters to provide three types of water, including clean water, soft water, and functional water that protects skin health. In addition, Coway introduced a “Vita-Matching Capsule System” consisting of moisturizing capsules, cleaning capsules, and therapy capsules so that customers can choose functional water according to their skin type. The SkinPlus water softener has a user-friendly drawer-type regenerant replacement structure with easy filter removal. The display on the front of the product shows the water temperature and usage, as well as the remaining amount of regenerant and the filter status.
icon Water Purifier 2
The icon water purifier 2 is the official successor to the Icon water purifier launched in 2020. The new version maintains the concept of "innovation in space, hygiene, and management" and upgrades the original product to reflect customer VOCs. The main feature of the Icon purifier 2 is that it has dramatically enhanced hygiene. The faucet that can be contaminated by contact with the air can be easily removed. It has a 7-inch filter that removes a total of 94 harmful substances, including algae toxins, and the hot water temperature has been upgraded to 4 stages, including ultra-hot water of 100℃, whereas the previous version offered only 1 stage. The new product also incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) technology that manages the device status and has been certified for AI+ artificial intelligence quality by the Korea Standards Association. The Icon water purifier 2 has also been recognized for its product excellence in various fields, earning the highest level of Water Taste Quality certification, Grand Gold, from the Korea International Sommelier Association.
Innovations in icon Water Purifier 2
Coway is improving customer convenience by introducing smart diagnostics and filter detection functions that apply advanced technologies such as IoT and AI to its products. The Icon Water Purifier 2, launched in June 2022, is a product with an intelligent diagnosis function that manages the status of the product. Customers can monitor the status of the device in real time using the accurate, intelligent AI diagnosis and find a solution immediately through the IoCare app.
Problems detected by smart diagnostics are forwarded to the server for prompt remote diagnosis and after-sales service. In addition, Coway is implementing the “smart filter sensing” function for water purifier self-management. AI automatically checks the lifespan of the water purifier filter and reminds users when it needs replacement and the product self-manages all aspects of hygiene, such as automatically cleaning the filter.
IoCare (Internet of Care) is a service that accurately identifies customer needs through advanced technology and provides contextual and customized solutions for each customer. Recently, Coway has been maximizing customer convenience by providing IoCare remote control services that allow customers to control these IoCare services from anywhere. A leading example of IoCare utilization is our Silver Care Service, which meets the needs of customers who are worried about their elderly parents by setting a specific person to be contacted if the water purifier is not used for 48 hours. Coway plans to continue its efforts to minimize inconvenience and maximize convenience in daily life through customized care based on IoT technology.
AI+ certification is the world's first quality certification for artificial intelligence technology, jointly developed by WISESTONE and the Korean Standards Association (KSA). Coway’s icon water purifier and icon ice purifier support smart product management through AI technology. The AI smart diagnosis function monitors the status of the product in real time and provides guidance on how to resolve any abnormalities. Ours is the first ice water purifier to be certified as AI+ and recognized for its smart technology.
2023 Concept: Digital self-management service innovation (repair and management)
In 2023, in order to expand in the global market and respond to self-management and online trends, we introduced technologies that make it easy and convenient for customers to manage their own products. The AI digital technology embedded in our products makes it easier for customers to identify problems and perform the correct necessary actions, and we have applied customer-centered technologies that make it simple for users to manage their products themselves.
As a leading South Korean green home appliance company, Coway continues to invest in research and development to build on its experience and fulfill its sense of responsibility. In 2021, building on its strong domestic position, Coway entered overseas markets and developed strategic products optimized for the global market. By introducing locally adapted products that reflect the culture and living environment of each region, Coway achieved the highest sales performance in its history overseas. We also developed market-leading innovative products that meet global ESG consumer trends and are in line with changes in living environments and consumer trends. Through the convergence of technologies and products, we are improving product quality and laying the foundation for sustainable growth. We also accelerated the development of new growth products through active external collaboration with OEMs and ODMs. In 2022, Coway will continue its global growth by strengthening its technologies and sparing no effort to develop new product lines.
Smart mattresses allow users to change the hardness of their mattresses according to their daily physical conditions and preferences. Coway BEREX's unique mattress smart control system allows users to manually or automatically adjust the mattress hardness to suit their preferences, body type, and sleeping position. The mattress allows users to adjust to all hardness levels by varying the air pressure and furthermore, control each of the 80 sleep cells to adjust the hardness on the left or right sides and adjust for various body parts for optimal comfort.
The icon ice water purifier is part of Coway's icon water purifier series, which incorporates Coway's advanced technology to provide all the innovations needed in the kitchen. The icon features a compact size and delivers fast and abundant ice making performance and enhanced hygiene. The icon is the smallest ice purifier in South Korea, measuring 24 cm across and 47.3 cm on the sides, which is approximately 40% smaller than previously released ice purifiers. Its compact size greatly improves the utilization of kitchen space. With dual rapid ice making, the Icon takes about 12 minutes to make a single ice cube, produces up to 600 ice cubes per day, and has a four-stage customized hot water function that includes 100-degree ultra-hot water. By passing cold air through the ice unit twice, the weight of the ice is increased by 21.6% in the same amount of time, and the time is reduced by 11.6% for the same weight, increasing the amount of ice made per day. Coway received the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award in recognition of this innovative technology.
In the global market, we developed products specialized for each country's usage environment. In Japan, we developed an installation-free water purifier to solve the problem of installation constraints while in Southeast Asia, we developed a water purifier with a large capacity RO filter that can be installed in ultra-low water pressure areas and enhanced hygiene. In the Americas, we developed a filter to remove forest fire hazards in the Mighty Air Purifier.
Coway has obtained the testing laboratory qualifications for TUV-SUD anti-bacterial microorganisms (ISO 846, ISO 22196) and harmful mattress substances (ISO1600-3,6,9). Through its designated laboratories, Coway has gained credibility for self-assessment and proved its ability to verify quality according to international standards. We will continue to provide products and services that customers can use with confidence based on enhanced hygiene quality and reliability.
In order to secure objectivity and fairness in evaluating excellence in water taste, Coway eveloped authorized evaluation indicators in collaboration with the Korea International Sommelier Association and introduced the Water Taste Quality Certification System. As of 2022, a total of 59 products (35 RO type and 24 NT type), including our Icon water purifier 2.0 and Icon ice water purifier, acquired the Water Taste Quality (WTQ) certification. In the future, we will acquire the WTQ certification for all products to provide cleaner and more delicious water to customers and conduct continuous research on water taste.
Customer Communication Channels
To ensure that our promotional materials (television, internet and outdoor advertising, HP product detail pages, etc.) provide consumers with accurate information and to avoid misinformation, we follow the “Legal Guidelines on Display Advertising” and review the content with product planners, developers, and lawyers. We also follow the “Guidelines on Test Results” to communicate the details of our marketing messages.
Since 2007, Coway has introduced a production information (POP) system for its manufacturing facilities to computerize traceability information and logistics flow through product labeling. A total of seven stages of verification are conducted from production to shipment, and conformity is determined by scanning barcodes attached to products and notifying and controlling duplicates or errors when they are detected.
