Why is Aftersales Service so Important?
Why is Aftersales Service so Important? Great after-sales service is an important business strategy for every kind of business.
You’ve spent a lot of time and money growing your business. Careful planning, advertising, and marketing may win you new customers, but the real value lies in keeping them.
Over the years, multiple studies have determined that retaining an existing customer is at least five times cheaper than acquiring a new one.
There are many reasons why a customer may choose one business over another, and it’s not always about the obvious factor of price.
Cost, convenience, and the products themselves will always be high on the list of customers considerations. However, if you haven’t yet placed much focus on creating a great aftersales experience, it’s worth giving some attention to.
Caring for your customer post-sale
No matter what you sell, your business must be available for your customer after their purchase.
From fast turnover groceries to luxury cars, be ready and able to assist your customers after the sale, should they have queries or difficulties.
This might mean anything from simply double-checking a price or discount, to major technical difficulties requiring specialist assistance.
Either way, make sure you have trained staff members available who not only have the ability, but also the enthusiasm to take great care of your customer after they have parted with their hard-earned cash.
This is crucial to your business’s reputation, and for potential repeat business.
Read on to find out how great aftersales service and a customer care focus can benefit your business.
Great aftersales service is the key ingredient to business growth
Unless you’re offering something truly unique, your customers will generally have a choice when it comes to suppliers.
Today’s shoppers have far more options than ever before and simply expect great service.
Every business must find ways to stand out from its competitors, and an excellent post-sales customer experience is one way to do that, for several reasons.
Reputation
Its easy to be informed thanks to the internet, and a quick Google search will tell your customers a lot about your business.
People like to talk about their experiences, whether amazing or terrible, and the internet means those opinions are louder and more widespread than ever before.
Be sure that your past and present customers have only good things to say about you.
Your existing customers can be your best form of advertising and your cheapest salespeople – or your biggest deterrent – when it comes to new business.
Your potential new client’s first impression of your business will often be the opinions of your other customers.
Therefore, if your customers have queries or complaints about their purchases, be sure that you are there to hear them first and try to resolve them quickly.
Trust
Retaining your customers for repeat business is an important factor for business growth.
Once they have already chosen to buy from you, an existing customer is are far more likely to buy from you than your competitor the next time they purchase, so long as they have a good experience.
Being available and competent to assist with queries after the initial sale is an important way to create trust in your business, so your customer can feel confident to buy from you again.
When an issue is resolved efficiently it is more likely to result in repeat business, because the resolution has created trust in your ability.
Brand loyalty
Consistently great aftersales care helps to create brand loyalty.
When your customer likes your products and feels assured that your business is still interested in them after their purchase, you begin to create true brand loyalty. Why would they go anywhere else to purchase if they get consistent excellence with you?
Studies have shown that consumers are even prepared to pay more for their products when the service is great.
It’s also worth noting that repeat customers are statistically likely to spend more with your business than new customers.
Increased revenue
Building reputation, trust, and brand loyalty leads to repeat sales and additional business from word-of-mouth sales and recommendations. Ultimately, creating these 3 foundations leads to increased revenue and profitability for your company.
Excellent aftersales service creates opportunities for financial gain and growth for your business, while potentially reducing the required budget for pursuing new business.
Complainers can be your best asset
What better way to find out how you can improve than to listen to the people that complain to you? Embrace those customers who come to you to resolve their issues, instead of complaining about you to others.
Actively seek out your customer’s opinions and support them after the sale. It’s better to find out if they are unhappy and have the chance to resolve this than have them tell 10 other potential customers instead.
Reaching out to your customer after the sale can help them to feel valued, and create greater communication with your business. In turn, this can lead to better marketing and upselling opportunities.
Never underestimate the value that great customer service can bring to your business. Purchasers who feel confident and valued are far more likely to recommend you and buy from you again.
A few quick tips to begin improving your aftersales care
Be available – set up monitored social media, email, and communication channels so your customers can reach you in whichever way they prefer.
Send a survey – you might need to provide an incentive to reply in some cases, but it’s always valuable to reach out to your customers and see how they are feeling.
Be responsive – Reply to every query, no matter how small. If you get the impression your customer is less than happy, reach out to them to see how you can rectify that.
Make your customer feel important – without your customer, you don’t have a business, so make sure they know they are important to you.
Take ownership – If you customer approaches you with a query or problem, deal with it. If you must pass it on to someone else, be sure to follow up and ensure it gets resolved.
Ongoing training – make sure your staff are competent to look after your customers. Providing training for new staff and ongoing refresher training can be invaluable.
Communication is key – Talk to your customers. Be visible on social media and available in person, by phone or by email. Make sure your customer views you as an open and approachable company.
Stay in touch – Keep a customer database and send occasional email promotions – but not too many! Make sure your customer remembers you. Offer promotions and loyalty discounts to your existing customers.
Who are we?
Retail Solutions is a market-leading EPOS provider with over 25 years of business experience. Our leading sectors are convenience stores, supermarkets, forecourts, and pharmacies.
We are dedicated to providing your store with the most up-to-date and reliable point of sale hardware, along with software management tools to help you manage your business effectively.
To find out more about what we do, get in touch to chat with one of our knowledgeable consultants:
Contact us!
About the author:
Susan McGuire has been with Retail Solutions for over 6 years, and during that time has had roles within the areas of Maintenance, Finance, & Marketing. You can follow her on LinkedIn!
