Some consumers love product support packages as a way of buying into a closer, ongoing relationship their favourite brands.
This is an interesting insight. Especially, when you consider that deeper customer engagement and increased customer loyalty represent the “holy grail” of customer experience marketing.
Smart companies match their customers’ needs for instant information and rapid repair response with their own high-quality service provision. not only drive future product
In this way, they earn service revenues, gain valuable customer feedback and prepare the ground for future product purchases.
Delivering exceptional product support demands a long term commitment.
Upfront investments can be high, but the long-term payback is often exponential revenue and margin growth.
What are the 10 steps to building a product support business?
Step One
Decide on which aspects of the programme to run in-house and which to contract out to specialist providers. You will probably want to deliver the support itself – whether this is online, over the phone or in the home by trained technicians – but you may choose to outsource programme administration.
Step Two
In contracting with a specialist make sure you choose the right partner. One that has a proven track record with similar manufacturers (ideally your peer group), embodies the art of customer service and is a good fit with your brand values and your commercial ambition.
Step Three
Make it your business to continually listen to your customers’ needs in terms of the support that they require to get the most out of their product, now and throughout the rest of its useful life.
Step Four
Develop tailored care plans to meet these needs and put in place the resources to deliver on your promises.
Step Five
Create mechanisms to promote the benefits of your product support to customers at point of sale or post purchase. These might include in-store leaflets, in the box brochures, stickers on the product or online marketing programmes.
Step Six
Encourage customers to register their products with you so that you build a CRM database. This will enable you to reach out to your customers and provide proactive service no matter how old their product becomes.
Step Seven
Collect further information on customers’ needs through logistics, service and marketing interventions. Make this constantly available to frontline staff
Step Eight
Excel at delivering the product support that customers are paying for.
Step Nine
Continually listen to the voice of the customer and use it to innovate in terms of service, customer journey and product promotion.
Step Ten
Synergise with new product launches, leveraging service support as an added value feature of the brand, reinforcing its reputation for quality.
