Services & Maintenance

When a company wants to offer services to its customers, it has to worry about different aspects related to logistics and the supply chain . To give a couple of well-known examples, we have customer service and after-sales maintenance service. The work focused on these aspects is what is known as service management .

In this post we are going to see and briefly explain what are the 5 basic elements that must be present in all service management.

Business Management

Management of services, guarantees and returns Faced with a product or service that exceeds disbursement limits, it is strange for the customer not to request a guarantee or, in the event that the product or service is defective, the possibility of return. In the event that there is a sales contract , it is advisable to mention both aspects in it. On the other hand, if the contracted product or service only requires the delivery of a receipt to the client, it is a good idea to tell him about the possibilities that exist regarding returns, even if he already knows them. This will provide us with an image of transparency and reliability. Management of services and spare parts In the event that the purchased product consists of different parts that can be replaced in the event of individual damage, we must assess the following issues regarding service management:

Spare parts availability .

Forms to request spare parts from the supplier.

Deadlines of delivery.

Management of the guarantee , if necessary.

Service and maintenance management

There are many products such as electrical appliances or services such as computers that may require maintenance after the purchase of the product or the contracting of the basic service.

Regarding maintenance in terms of service management, we must consider aspects as essential as:

The personnel who will be in charge of offering the maintenance service.

The times in which the maintenance will be carried out.

If the maintenance will be carried out at the client's home or offices, or at our own. If the maintenance is going to be billed to seniors or if it will be included in the contracting of the basic service.

Management of services and customer service

The attention to the client can be understood in two main stages:

Before sale : pre-sale service. It includes everything related to contact with potential clients and advice and resolution of doubts to those people and companies interested in our products or services.

After sale : after-sale service. It includes everything related to communication with customers who have already bought our products or hired our services, including both control and quality calls as well as everything that we have dealt wit

h in the previous points.

Service management and strategy

When we speak of strategy in relation to service management, we refer to issues that concern the dissemination of the way in which we are going to offer clients everything that we have discussed in the previous points. Some variables that we must take into account in this regard are the following Planning of ways to carry out service management. Media in which we are going to disseminate the details of our service management. Formats in which we are going to transmit these messages. And, in short, any other question that allows the customer to know what we are going to offer in addition to the product he buys or the service he hires.