After sales service is the service that the manufacturer or retailer gives to the customer after the sale of the product. This could involve maintenance or repair of the item during a warranty period, or even longer. Obviously, the after sales service that is provided depends very much on what has been sold. For example, if a customer buys some expensive software that could help their own business, the after sales service here could be the installation of the software and relevant training on how to use it.
Customer service is a vital part of business success (or lack of it) and is often the reason why consumers choose a particular manufacturer or retailer, often regardless of cost, and after sales service is the icing on the cake for many.
Depending on your business, this aspect of your customer service may not be as involved as the above example of staff training. For example, a builder may only need to ring his customer after work has been completed to see if everything is satisfactory. If it is, it will have cost him a phone call and the result will be a customer who is thrilled with the extra service, and who is prepared to tell everybody they know how wonderful this particular builder is. If all is not well, the builder has the opportunity to arrange to rectify whatever the problem is. The result will be the same: Rather than have a customer who is disgruntled that the builder has done a less than perfect job (and can’t wait to tell everybody they know about this rubbish builder), they are now thrilled that the builder is prepared to take responsibility and will tell everybody that. Result: Win/win for all concerned and repeat business for the builder.
Customer service is a vital part of business success (or lack of it) and is often the reason why consumers choose a particular manufacturer or retailer, often regardless of cost, and after sales service is the icing on the cake for many.
Depending on your business, this aspect of your customer service may not be as involved as the above example of staff training. For example, a builder may only need to ring his customer after work has been completed to see if everything is satisfactory. If it is, it will have cost him a phone call and the result will be a customer who is thrilled with the extra service, and who is prepared to tell everybody they know how wonderful this particular builder is. If all is not well, the builder has the opportunity to arrange to rectify whatever the problem is. The result will be the same: Rather than have a customer who is disgruntled that the builder has done a less than perfect job (and can’t wait to tell everybody they know about this rubbish builder), they are now thrilled that the builder is prepared to take responsibility and will tell everybody that. Result: Win/win for all concerned and repeat business for the builder.
