Subject areaProcess and organisation
Also known asafter-sales serviceafter-sales support
After-sales is the phase of the relationship that begins after the purchase: delivery, installation, technical support, returns and warranty handling, response to complaints.
In the customer journey it comes after the choice and before loyalty, and it is the moment when customers share their experience, also online with reviews and social media posts.
It is often where the relationship breaks. A company can lose a customer because of an inefficient after-sales process rather than the product: for this reason a fluid after-sales process, with clear and timely communication, is as much a part of the customer experience as the sale itself, and it decides retention.
An example
A company that makes packaging machinery sells a line and assigns the start-up to a technician who stays at the plant for the first week. The customer learns to use the machine without stoppages, and the next order arrives without a tender.
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Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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