Chapter 4b: Demand Process- The "Serve" Process Flashcards
T or F: the supply chain ends with the sale of a product.
False; companies need to support their product after the initial purchase
The Serve Process is essential for customer ________ and ________; it is (upstream/downstream) focused.
satisfaction; retention; upstream
If customers’ relationship with the new product starts well: satisfaction level should go (up/down), and the likelihood that customers return the product or wreck it through improper use goes (up/down).
up; down
What are the 3 goals of optimizing after-sales support activities?
- Save money
- Reduce resources
- Boost customer loyalty
services provided after products have been sold
after-sales support
After-sales support includes customer ________ and customer _________.
service; support
Customer service or support:
focused on enhancing the level of customer satisfaction.
Customer service
Customer service or support:
focused on building an ongoing relationship between the manufacturer and the customer through the life cycle of the product; mainly for products that require a guarantee, warranty, upgrade, or repair service.
Customer support
T or F: It’s much cheaper to find a new customer than to keep a current one.
False; must cheaper to KEEP a current one than to find a new customer.
After sales support provisions can include what 6 things?
- Training on product use
- Product and software updates
- Scheduled maintenance
- Repair parts and services
- Money-back guarantees
- Warranties for replacement in case of damage/defects
After-Sales Support is accomplished through many means, such as website information, printed documentation, and service personnel. But the most common method is:
a call center operation
The focus of a reputable company’s call center is to handle customer ______ and solve customer _______ before having a dispatcher repair technician or provide a return authorization. This is much _______ than having to send a technician out to a customer’s home.
inquiries; issues; cheaper
Call centers (or contact centers) use a variety of roles/methods to engage with customers and operate. What are 4 of these roles/methods?
- Help Desk Support
- Live Customer Support
- Automated Customer Support
- Support Automation
Match each description to the role/method of call centers that they describe:
a. provides assistance 24 hours a day by phone/online
b. assisting customers with technology merchandise like PC’s, software product, and mobile phones
c. includes online knowledge like Q&A forums, 24/7 systems monitoring, and preventative support services
d. services that help the customer with product questions
a. Automated Customer Support
b. Help Desk Support
c. Support Automation
d. Live Customer Support
Call centers/contact centers/online support are important tools for both _______ and ________.
consumers; manufacturers
(They allow customers to access important info and services in the most convenient way for them (ex: phone, text, online,etc.) For the company, these operations should support the customer’s entire journey with the product.)
When properly used, TECHNOLOGY improves call center operations in terms of what 3 things?
- Improves flow-time (how long it takes to solve customer issues)
- Improves flexibility (how to handle a variety of issues)
- Reduces expenses (how much it costs to resolve those issues)
What must also improve, or the call center process and technology are just an irritant to the customer?
Quality of Service
a system for managing a company’s interactions with current and future customers.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) utilizes technology to do what 3 things?
- Organize,
- Automate,
- and Synchronize
sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support.
Out of the following, which two are highly relevant to after-sales support?
marketing, customer service, sales, and technical support
Customer service and technical support
The concept of CRM is to align the supplier’s resources with its customers in a manner that increases both customer _________ and supplier _________.
satisfaction; profiting
CRM can provide valuable insight to support customer requirement → companies collect a lot of data about customers. If they can organize it effectively with CRM software, they can analyze the data and use the knowledge to _______ _______ with us. Understanding customer’s ______, ______, _____, etc. allows companies to consistently serve customers.
improve interactions; goals, needs, habits
What is a major capability of a well designed Customer Relationship Management process?
Consistent personalized interaction with customers
T or F: Investing money in a good after-sales support center will help to increase revenue and retain customers.
True
management of the time critical delivery of spare parts to end users as part of an after sales service; informal definition: a bank account saver
Service Parts Logistics (SPL)
Service Parts Logistics is critical for _______ and ________ high value items (ex: computers, cars, appliances, an airplane, etc.)
repairing; maintaining