Maximize Customer Loyalty with After-Sales Service
After-Sales Service: Enhance Customer Satisfaction
After-sales service is the set of mechanisms and tasks that an organization uses after the sale is completed to obtain total customer satisfaction. It is an important source of information and should be considered an investment. It is easier to sell new products to a satisfied customer than finding new customers. Through their recommendations, we can gain access to new customers.
Advantages of After-Sales Service
- It provides greater customer satisfaction.
- It improves the image of the company.
- It improves direct knowledge of the market.
- It involves potential customer loyalty.
- It implies a likely increase in sales.
Disadvantages of After-Sales Service
- It involves certain costs.
- It needs to be controlled.
- It can cause a possible increase in the number of claims.
- It implies a greater demand for service and quality.
- It causes more staffing needs.
Types of After-Sales Service
Promotional
Special offers or discounts, participation in sweepstakes or contests, i.e.: a card to accumulate money or points, a monthly magazine with new products, etc.
Psychological
Services that motivate customers such as birthday cards, gifts, vouchers, phone calls to ask for the product or service, etc.
Security
They provide protection, such as a warranty covering a period or the possibility of making a refund if the customer is not satisfied.
Maintenance
It involves a maintenance or support service. Companies may provide an installation service and training or follow-up visits to ensure the customer is making good use of the product.
After the sale of a product or service, there are two main activities that can take place:
Technical Services
These should be performed by trained staff:
- Installation: Operations performed on the premises of the customer to get the product ready.
- Maintenance: Products suffer wear and tear, and therefore some maintenance activities are necessary to restore a product or maintain it.
- Repairs: Carried out to restore the features of a product. During the warranty, the supplier will repair the product free of charge, provided the customer keeps the receipt.
Services Provided to Customers Directly
- Training for Use: The company trains or guides the customer to get the most out of the product or service.
- Handling of Complaints and Claims: Complaints reflect the existence of a possible defect in a product or service, but they do not necessarily reflect the reality of system performance.
Some customers complain even if the product or service meets the requirements, while others do not, even if there are problems. The factors that influence potential complaints are the customer’s characteristics (age, educational level), the importance of the product, the price, and the moment when the problem appears.
Relationship of After-Sales Service with Other Processes
The after-sales service has an impact on the planning, creation, and marketing of a product or service, and they all have a single goal: customer satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction is something subjective, and it depends on the total value that the customer has assigned to the product or service. Companies must offer a solid after-sales service to provide customer satisfaction.
Total value: purchase value + usage value + final value