What is the after-sales service? What are the types and ways to master them?

What is the after-sales service? What are the types and ways to master them?

After-sales service refers to a set of services aimed at ensuring the start-up, maintenance and repair, if necessary, of a good or service sold by the company. Having become an essential service within the company, it greatly increases the sales force by ensuring and loyal customers. Thus, any company worthy of the name has no interest in underestimating its importance and effectiveness, hence the need to carefully study the relevant quality of service.

What does after sales service mean?

After-sales service is the support that a company provides to customers after they have already purchased their product. They include customer qualification, customer service, warranty service, and returns and exchanges. After-sales service allows brands to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty and encourage word-of-mouth.

After-sales service is a business argument for equipment sales and a key lever for customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, the vast majority of small and medium-sized businesses underestimate this lever for growth and profitability!

Depending on the quality of the products sold, the fact remains that after sales service is often a cost center. We can certainly charge for some interventions, and charge for warranty extensions, but that turnover is often minimal compared to the expenses incurred. Therefore, strict regulation and management is required. Challenges: Satisfying customers at the best cost.

Why is after-sales service important?

Although it is more cost effective to improve the pre-sales experience, companies need to provide excellent support to customers who have already purchased a product because business prosperity depends on repeat customers. After-sales support allows brands to take advantage of this

According to statistics, 96% of consumers will leave if a company provides poor customer service. However, if you are successful in providing customers with the after-sales service they deserve, this business can increase customer loyalty and encourage people to buy again. As a result, the company can get repeat customers.

After sales service is essential to increase the customer base. Satisfied customers can recommend a work to their friends. Satisfied customers are the most valuable asset because they have a higher lifetime value. Satisfying customers through after-sales service ensures new customers through referral programs and more sales.

Since a great after-sales experience affects brand image, companies can use it to their advantage. If entrepreneurs build a positive brand image through after-sales service, they can increase conversions, build customer loyalty, and reduce disruption.

Now that you know the reasons for considering after sales service for your business, let’s review the types.

5 kinds of after-sales services

You can set up different types of after-sales services to meet your marketing goals. We will review the most used strategies to increase customer satisfaction.

User training: This type is essential for customers as it helps them understand how to use your product. Users can understand how everything works through setup, training and educational materials from your customers.

Online Support: For businesses in the e-commerce space, having online support to help customers when they encounter issues with a product is a must. Customers can reach companies through various communication channels. They can contact support or use a chatbot or social media to get help.

Warranty Services: Almost all companies offer warranty services to their customers. This may include the replacement of a specific component or parts of the product within the specified period. For example, Apple offers its customers a one-year warranty and 90 days of technical support.

Upgrades: Companies often update software so that devices are compatible and serve their owners longer. For example, Apple users can update their software for 4-5 years.

Free Replacement: There are brands that offer to exchange the product if it is not working properly. Customers can get a free replacement for a limited time.

Now that you know the types, let’s move on to tips for effective after-sales service.

4 tips for better after-sales service

Customer retention is an essential part of the success of any business. We have prepared 4 tips for you to retain customers through after-sales service.

Offering discounts to customers: Attractive offers always help in arousing the interest of the target audience. Discounts are effective in the after-sales period. Creating coupons, special offers, and discounts shows your customers that you care about your customers.

Try to create campaigns for customers who are interested in your products: Provide excellent customer support. You must always stay in contact with customers and be ready to help them. After sales service requires you to provide customers with impeccable customer service. Use different communication channels so that consumers can contact you whenever they have problems. Use private chatbots for Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram to provide customers with immediate assistance and answer basic questions about customer setup, installation, features and updates.

Ask Customer Feedback: After purchasing, ask customers about their experience. Customer feedback is critical to improving your business. Through customer surveys, you can assess the value of your product, customer satisfaction, and identify problems that need to be eliminated. You need to determine the ideal time after customers have made a purchase from your business. Ask customers to share their experience at least a week after purchasing your product.

Send relevant content: Consider email marketing to send content that will interest your customers. Your email campaigns can include updates on new releases, discounts, rewards, and special promotions. It allows you to stay in touch with your customers. in addition to ,It enhances customer loyalty. With email tools you can develop email campaigns on your terms and send them to specific customers at the right time. You don’t need any special skills or programming knowledge to create great campaigns. A drag-and-drop editor and free email templates will help you quickly develop them according to your needs. In addition, you can notify customers of new releases via chatbots, SMS text messages, and web notifications.

The interest of the call center to manage after-sales service

Some companies have several points of sale that their customers can refer to when needed, if not at the main headquarters. However, as we all know, many customers find it difficult to travel to use the service. This is why companies often use a call center for more efficiency and convenience in after-sales service. This task is the responsibility of the call center agents who specialize in service.

Service execution offers certain features and procedures that vary depending on the product, service, and the specific status of the request. Remote or on-site intervention, repair, installation, delivery and many other operations are required. However, it all starts with a hotline, that is, a team that is ready to receive requests, complaints and customer needs.

The company’s notoriety through the efficiency of its after-sales service will remain in the hands of the call center, which it will entrust with the task of representing its company. The Telephone Consultants who will be at the front of the stage must have an unyielding sense of listening, perfect mastery of procedure and of course a sense of the sharpest rapport. Find out how to identify the right call center, or simply the right remote advisor to whom you will entrust this essential service.

After-sales service is directly related to the company’s image

Who is responsible for after-sales service?

The After Sales Service Manager supervises the team responsible for repairing the items sold. Establishes schedule, manages absences and regularly organizes meetings with reception and maintenance staff to improve service operation. Participates in the selection of repair equipment and ensures the quality of the interventions. In order to satisfy customers, he strives to reduce repair times.

In the event of a dispute, he listens to complaints, assesses responsibilities, and proposes an appropriate solution. For major faults, he does not hesitate to travel to the customer to support his technicians. The after-sales service manager mainly works in supermarkets or networks specializing in the distribution of consumer electronic equipment (audio, video, multimedia and household appliances). He can also work in the maintenance department.

Post-sales service manager duties

Ensure a good customer welcome to build loyalty
Organizing customer call management
Advice to clients
Propose solutions to customer complaints
Develop and participate in customer relationship strategy
Overseeing his team of repair technicians and consultants
Motivating and directing management staff
Control the good reception of customers and ensure that repair deadlines are respected
Intervene in the event of a dispute with the client
Participate in product improvement through close contact with the manufacturer
Participate in after-sales marketing operations
Provide product maintenance and repair
Design service performance indicators (complaint rate, calls, deadlines)
Collect feedback from clients
Reporting technical problems encountered by customers
Analyze results and implement modifications
Fill in the activity monitor support
Implementation of human resources work
Participate in recruitment and professional development
Ordering spare parts, selection of repair equipment

reception in organizations

Any organization that conveys a certain image of itself, through the visual cues it conveys to outsiders (logo, quality of lettering, emblems, etc.), its facilities (modernity, location of its headquarters), the behavior and manner of its employees. of welcoming visitors.

As an element of communication, the reception takes part in building the image of the organization, because it crystallizes the first impression of the visitor. reception both:

The process of receiving people from outside, and guiding or guiding them until they find what they came for;

The site where the first meeting between the visitor and the organization takes place.
Therefore, reception should be a priority for organizations.

In fact, caring about the welcome means taking care of your brand image, building customer and employee loyalty, attracting prospects, reducing tensions, and improving the relationship climate in the company. Thus a successful welcome will create a positive dynamic for the organization. On the contrary, a neglected welcome can have harmful effects such as a bad image of the organization, the impression on the employee that he is out of place, etc.

Therefore, reception is a source of satisfaction to various audiences in the organization (future collaborators such as employees and customers, business partners such as suppliers or subcontractors) and is available in two distinct communication situations: face-to-face (direct communication) or over the telephone (indirect communication).

The reception must meet the expectations of the audience to whom it is directed. For this, it must be thought out and fit into the reception policy, and attitudes and behaviors must be adapted to the visitor.

We will therefore develop three aspects of reception in this article: the challenges of reception, the importance of a successful reception strategy, and the professionalization of reception.

common questions

What is the role of after-sales service?

The company’s after-sales service, or after-sales service, is responsible for monitoring the goods after they have been purchased by the customer. If necessary, it guarantees the maintenance, repair or replacement of the product sold by the company.

It can also be called customer service because after-sales service functions are not limited to product replacement or revision. They include all services provided after purchase, and therefore also determine the delivery and installation of the goods, as well as physical or telephone assistance to the buyer.

If after-sales service can sometimes be invoiced, it is generally included in the product sales contract because it constitutes an essential tool for customer loyalty.

What is the advantage of after-sales service?

After sales service is important to build customer loyalty by knowing their needs and targeted presentation of promotions and new products. In doing so, the company can also maintain its brand image, anticipate new customers and generate more profits with existing customers.