Just like any other business processes, running after-sales service and repair process successfully, it is pertinent to manage each steps involved coherently and accurately. Ignored or left to chance, your Service operations can be a Loss Center to the company. The factors mentioned below will help you identify the significant aspects of service operations, and the difficulties attached with it.
Scheduling and Assigning Work Orders- Scheduling, assigning and handling work orders to service centers and engineers is the most crucial part of the service operations. If you rely on tools like Whiteboard, Excel and Outlook for this, you must be losing out on your business. These tools can help you disseminate the information like assigning work orders and updating repair status, but fails in â€Å“trackingâ€Â the minute-by-minute status of the work order(s).
Warranty Management- In many situations, it is more than likely to show out-of-warranty calls as in-warranty and claim the service. Manual tracking by viewing the POP (proof-of-purchase) does not help to prevent such practices. Warranty Management becomes a neglected source of competitive advantage, where it can be an important factor in the manufacturerâ€â„¢s cost-reduction strategies.
Service and Part Claim Management- Invalid claims, repeat claims, non-reimbursed and forfeit claims are common in the service industry. When thousands of work order calls run simultaneously, it gets a tad too difficult to distinguish between the valid and false claims. If not taken care of, service and part claim can become an irrevocable expense for the company. An automated tool like Service Management System can rationalize the service and claim management system, helping to keep the invalid claims at bay.
Escalation of Work Orders- When a product is escalated to the higher service level center, tracking becomes all the more important. Since these centers do not have customer walk-in, it is important for the management to keep an eye; so that the next time the customer asks for the status, he/she should be given due clarity. Manual tracing in this case just increases the communication gap (and therefore repair TAT), leaving your customers unhappy and dissatisfied. Service Management Software can track and manage all the escalations during the service process in real time.
Product and GAP Analysis- The best part about the service and repair industry is that it can be its own performance analyzer. With Service Management Software, you can measure the product performance on the basis of complaints and faults in particular models. Which product is failing the most and which product is facing the same problem all over again. Along with this, you can also analyze the service centerâ€â„¢s and engineerâ€â„¢s efficiency level.
If you have experienced these pain areas before, automate your service operation processes before it eats up your bottom line. Getting a Service Management Software in place could help you streamline the processes. Companies that use a best-practice approach to manage service and repair operations with the help of Service Management Software can provide better value to customers while improving the bottom line and increasing customer loyalty.
Seema is an online marketing enthusiast & futurist. Zed Serviceⓞ¢ is a leading service management softwareÃ, company in India. For more information about service management software products & repair management software solutions visit Zed Serviceⓞ¢ website now !
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