Gain Competitive Advantage through After-Sales Service
by Selma Canas, CGBP | November 22, 2022
Customer satisfaction should be the ultimate measure of a company’s success as it will lead to repeat sales and referrals for more business. Customers need to know you, like you and trust you before they will do business with you. Marketers say it costs five times as much – and sometimes more – to attract a new customer than it does to retain an existing one.
A key metric used to build towards customer satisfaction is the lifetime value of a customer – how long they will stay with you and how much money they will spend. The best way to gauge this is by using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) , which asks one question – How likely would you be to recommend this product/service/company to a friend or colleague? This NPS can be used to interpret customer loyalty and satisfaction, and even predict business growth.
After-sales service should be part of the company’s overall marketing strategy as it is considered a key revenue generator. It consists of everything a company does after the sale has been made, including follow-up contact, dealing with complaints, supporting warranty service, repairs and returns, and more. These services will vary greatly by product/service so analyzing customer performance indicators will be telling.
What is important to the customer?
- Delivery time
- Communication timeframe
- Treated fairly
- Convenience
- Loyalty rewards
- Automation or Personalization
After-sales services should incorporate the needs and wants of a customer to build towards customer satisfaction. Companies will need to identify who will manage each after-sale service, be it an employee, third party, or the distributor.
Follow-up with customer after sale has been made
Contact the customer to ask about satisfaction with the product/service/company. Find out what their needs are at this time. Tell them how you will act on their responses and do it in a timely manner. Do not drop the ball as it could lead to a negative impression from the customer.
Create a hotline for customer issues
Customers want to be heard so having a 24/7 hotline or chat feature for them to reach someone would be a great after-sale service. Maybe they have a question or need assistance with a product. Having someone available to respond within a reasonable time is beneficial to your customer service.
Offer loyalty rewards or free products
People in general love to receive free offerings but customers want to get the most value for the money spent. Offering rewards or free products to existing customers provides more value for the money.
Warranty service
Offering a warranty service relays confidence in the product/service/company. Customers like knowing that a company will repair, replace, or refund a product/service if they are not satisfied.
Continue the dialogue
Check in with customers periodically. Send newsletters with company/industry information. Stay in touch to stay top of mind.
Providing after-sales services can give companies a competitive advantage over companies that do not. Satisfied customers will lead to more sales and new business through referrals of friends and colleagues. On the other hand, poor after-sales service can prevent companies from growing, and even result in lost customers. Build customer satisfaction by taking care of your customers.
Selma Canas
Canas, Consultants, International Consultants 2, TampaNASBITE Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP), Florida SBDC at USF, Tamp
Specialties: International Trade, Export Marketing Plans, Market Research
Selma Canas is responsible for guiding small businesses through the complexities of developing export marketing and international expansion plans and teaching seminars on basic international trade. She has developed more than 30 Export Marketing Plans during the past six years for local businesses, and participated in trade missions to Brazil, Chile, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. Canas has more than 15 years of experience in sales, marketing and customer service in a variety of industries, including freight forwarding, real estate and advertising. As a co-owner of Restaurant Guide USA, she increased sales and distribution points and tripled the size of the distributed product.
As a real estate broker-owner, Canas carved a niche in the Latin American community and had a career sales volume of more than $37 million. Canas earned her bachelor degree in economics from the University of South Florida. She is a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional and holds an Export and Trade Counseling Certification from the U.S. Small Business Association. Selma earned Florida SBDC at USF Employee of the Year honors in 2016. She is a member of Toastmasters international and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.