Consumers are now assessing the quality of post-sales services before deciding on the purchase. Service Lifecycle Management (SLM) focuses on streamlining the various functions of post-sales services. For the success of SLM, it is imperative to ensure proactive planning and adequate logistics in order to meet the service requests. Though firms exhibit readiness in terms of receiving service requests and scheduling the skilled service personnel, yet unavailability of the adequate inventory or logistics can impede service delivery.
Service
Lifecycle Management (SLM) is a business practice based
on integrated service delivery model and is focused on streamlining
the various functions of the post-sales service operations
such as customer support, service operations, inventory
and logistics. It is also referred to as `service delivery
management', product service management and service resource
planning. Such strategic processes to execute after-sales
service offers significant and untapped business development
opportunities. Practicing SLM strategy in the product aftermarket
allows manufacturers to take advantage of the additional
revenue or profit opportunities. It also offers compelling
bottom line benefits in the form of increased revenue, lower
costs and improved customer satisfaction/retention. However,
companies can realize the complete potential of SLM only
when they complete service calls on the first visit by deploying
the right technician with the right service parts and the
right skills at the right time. Achieving this, calls for
proactive service planning capabilities, rather than reactive
service approach.
For
decades consumers are bearing the inconsistent processes
and service delays in case of after-sales services. However,
in the new economic scenario, the customer is continuing
to emerge as the key factor in ensuring business success.
The philosophy that `customer is the king' is valid not
only for marketing operations or till he buys the product.
Now it is extended to the after-sales market. In fact, service
is a living business rather than a series of purchase events.
The consumers are assessing the post-sales service quality
first before they could decide on a purchase. `On demand
delivery' is now increasingly sought in the product aftermarket
service operations. Product consumers are no more accepting
longer outage times and want the service within hours, in
some cases within minutes. Particularly, the industrial
buyers take it very closely, as longer outages affect their
productivity and profitability. Anything beyond their Service
Level Agreements (SLAs) is intolerable. In fact, many organizations
are going ahead and publishing the SLAs so that the customers
know the service delivery levels. This has also helped to
ascertain customer satisfaction and get feedback in case
of delays. |
