Why After-Sales Service Is Important

The customer journey doesn’t end at the time of purchase. There are things to consider beyond that point that will help enhance the customer experience and create loyalty. One of the most important to consider is after-sales service.

Collins Dictionary defines after-sales service as the help and information that businesses provide to their customers after they have bought a particular product. Anyone who has ever needed to contact a company after encountering issues with a product they’ve purchased knows that finding quick and reliable information can be quite challenging.

Companies who make it fast and convenient for their customers to contact them have an advantage over those that neglect this important part of customer care. Usually, a quick web search and a few clicks are all that customers need to do to find relevant contact information. But even when this is the case, making actual contact with a business may not happen as fast or as conveniently as customers would want.

More than 60% of customers would make a digital self-service tool their first choice for after-sales service – specifically, a website, mobile app or other. And nearly two-thirds of adults say that the most important thing a company can do is demonstrate that they value their customers’ time by providing a good customer experience.

Valuing customer time may seem pretty vague so here’s the cold, hard data: 50% of customers calling sales contact centers abandon their calls after 45 seconds of waiting, with the mark set at 95 seconds for tech support call centers.

Getting this right pays dividends. Cash-conscious and service-savvy Millennials will pay more for great customer care, while 70% of customers surveyed in the USA said that they’ve spent more with a business that provided great service.

This doesn’t mean you need to pull the plug on your contact center. A lot of customers still prefer using the phone since it’s a live channel that puts them in direct contact with a human agent. But there are things you can do that will enhance the efficiency of your after-sales service.

One way of putting customers who are in need of after-sales service with a human agent is by adding digital channels. An example is electronics giant LG, who added a WhatsApp channel for customers in need of service information in India.

The main challenge LG had been facing in the populous country was long waiting times for their call center. This commonly leads to unpredictable resolution and poor customer experience, which they wanted to stamp out.

Introducing the WhatsApp channel made it easier for LG customers in India to quickly and conveniently reach customer service by texting to the WhatsApp number (+91971170999) advertised on their site. This is replied to by a message with the queue, letting the customer know when an agent will join the chat. This helps with predictability and gives customers an idea of how soon they’ll be chatting with an agent

Just like with a phone call, this type of communication is direct and allows for interaction with a human agent. Unlike a phone call, customers using the WhatsApp chat are able to carry on with their day-to-day, allowing them to reply at their own convenience after hearing their incoming message notification.

This is one of the more recent after-sales service examples using a newer technology to provide customers with fast and convenient after-sales service.