After a Porsche leaves the showroom, the relationship is only getting started. For Anne Schnieders, Aftersales Director at Porsche Middle East and Africa, the real work sits in the details owners may rarely see but always feel—the service bay, the diagnosis, the handover and the long-term care that keeps the drive as precise as the first day. In a region where Porsche loyalty runs deep, Anne speaks to Soigné about trust, craft and what it really takes to preserve the feeling behind the badge.
How did your early experience in Porsche customer relations shape the way you lead Aftersales today?
My early experience in Porsche customer relations sharpened my perception, and it still drives the business for me today. Supporting customers with their concerns and complaints taught me how important it is to understand their needs, see the vehicle and service challenges from their perspective, and communicate in the right way. That is still exactly how I lead the Aftersales department now.
You describe Aftersales as “keeping the dream alive.” What does that look like in practice for Porsche owners?
Around 70% of all Porsche cars ever built are still on the road today, and our role is to keep them there. We want our customers to buy into the Porsche brand, rather than simply buy a Porsche, so the idea is to offer them the best Aftersales products and services to keep those cars in the best shape for years to come.
Ultimately, it means going beyond service and repair, into flawless results and warm customer care. I often say that Sales sells the first car, while Aftersales sells the second. That is what gives owners peace of mind and keeps them coming back to the brand.
How has the meaning of customer care changed in the luxury car world?
Customer expectations have changed dramatically. In the past, customers were happy to wait while we ordered spare parts, ran the technical diagnosis, repaired the car and had it ready for collection. Today, the expectations are completely different.
Customers want to be treated in a very personalized way. They want the service or repair done at the highest quality level and in a very short time, and they want everything digitalised and convenient. Digitisation is no longer a luxury, it is a must.
At the same time, the work itself has also become far more complex. Today, you are dealing with battery technology, electricity, software updates and communication management. There is a lot more to it than there used to be.
Porsche owners often have a deep emotional connection with their cars. How do you protect that feeling after the sale?
Everyone who works for the Porsche brand shares that deep emotional connection with our cars. Our Porsche Service teams are trained by the brand to make sure that connection is renewed and strengthened every time a customer is in touch with us.
We usually build special relationships with our customers over many years, and there is a deep sense of trust there. On our side, we make sure the vehicles and services are always executed at the highest standards and quality level.
Your grandfather’s love for cars played a role in your own journey. What do you remember most from that time?
I grew up on my grandparents’ farm in Western Germany, and my grandfather was a car aficionado. I would spend time with him in the workshop, helping him repair his classic car and watching him work on old vehicles, some of them up to 40 years old, including his beloved Porsche tractor.
What I remember most is the smell of the oil in his small workshop, and the passion he put into repairing the cars, along with the incredible level of detail that came with it. That is really where my fascination with the brand began.
The Middle East and Africa is home to many loyal Porsche owners. What makes this customer base unique?
We look after 16 markets, all very different, but what they have in common is our community. That community is something we are truly proud of, and the Porsche community here is strong: the Porsche clubs, the classic car communities, many of which we look after and repair ourselves at PME, and the collectors.
We have just celebrated 70 years of Porsche in Kuwait with the launch of a special edition 911 Turbo S Sadu Edition, available only in Kuwait, which shows how deeply rooted the brand is in this region and how far back our story here goes.
You see that same passion at Icons of Porsche in Dubai, and at local and regional events where the community comes together. These types of gatherings really showcase how Porsche customers are passionate, warm and down to earth.
What does sustainability mean in the world of luxury car care today?
Sustainability plays a big role in luxury car care today. At Porsche, we hold some of the highest sustainability standards in our workshops across all our markets.
We have battery recycling processes in place with recycling partners around the region, so we are giving back even as we work with new technology, caring for the car right through to the end of its life.
We are also sustainable in how we look after vehicles so they can live their longest possible life. That includes a dedicated programme to repair cars that have been in accidents and bring them back to their original condition, rather than simply scrapping them.
How do you balance Porsche’s heritage with the expectations of a new generation of drivers?
The core essence of Porsche has always been a kind of rebellion against the ordinary: a deep respect for our heritage held in balance with the thrill of visionary, future-forward engineering.
People always ask me what kind of Porsche I would like to have in my garage, and my answer is always the same: a classic 911 and a new Taycan. That, to me, is exactly how we manage to have something for everyone. Drivers have very different ideas of what they want to drive, but either way, it is still a Porsche, and it still carries the same core values.
That is the thinking behind our breadth of model choice, and behind the new service processes we have put in place to meet different customers’ needs and let them reach us in whatever way feels most comfortable to them.
This article originally appears in Soigné Middle East Issue 003, Setting the Pace.
