Challenges in Outsourcing After-Sales Service to Third-Party Service Providers

Outsourcing has become an intricate part of various business processes. In service industry, there has been a pronounced shift in the direction of after-sales support outsourcing. Today, manufacturers, suppliers and retailers believe that outsourcing after-sales service helps them slash overhead costs, streamline service management, and sharpen their focus on competencies which are core to them.

After-sales service is built around the idea of dealing with customers after they have used the product/service. This aims at strengthening the customer relationship, and hence the decision of outsourcing after-sales service should be dealt with utmost caution. Are you outsourcing your after-sales to a support company? How do you leverage the benefits of outsourcing after-sales service? What are the challenges you can face while outsourcing after-sales to a service partner? Through this article, find out the challenges and benefits of outsourcing your post-sales support to a service & support outsourcing company, and analyze how you can avoid the pitfalls associated with it and streamline service management.

Increased chances of pilferage- While outsourcing your after-sales may help you reduce the operational issues relating to managing the service centers; it also increases the chances of pilferages on the flip side. The reduced intermediate handling may increase the chances of irrelevant service and part claims, which may inadvertently lead to mis-management of inventory and loss of revenue. In this case, the very purpose of outsourcing, i.e., to reduce costs become void.

Risk of non-compliance of regulatory terms and conditions- Since the service centers work on their own models and regulations, it may be difficult to streamline your business processes with theirs. For example, if you are a mobile handset manufacturer and have outsourced the after-sales to the service partner who does not follow any automation process for streamlining repair calls. The absence of information regarding handset's repair status may lead to increased TAT (turn-around-time) and customer dissatisfaction.

Discontent with the automation solution used by your service partner- Some service providers use a service management solution that may not offer the results that you seek from your after-sales process; while some service providers may not use any automation technique at all. This may lead to information loss, which could have otherwise been possible from a self-owned automation process.

Outsourcing Only to Subject Matter Experts- There are service providers that carry proficiency in servicing multiple products. It is always a safe bet to outsource to companies that have proven expertise in servicing product/equipment that you deal in. For example, for a cell phone manufacturer, selecting a specialized electronics service center as the outsourcing partner may not be able to give you the desired results. A dedicated mobile handset service center that specializes in troubleshooting the defects, and knows the nitty-gritty of the mobile repair would be more effective.

An effective after-sales service protocol is essential to streamline service management and meet customer's expectations. Before you finalize your service partner, ensure that they use service management software that simplifies the service process, optimizes service performance and reduces the turn-around-time of service engineers. If not, you can make a strategic business decision and employ a service automation solution that you feel fulfills your business goals, and ask them to use that software for managing their service calls. A strong after-sales service can let you experience customer delight, while also saving on your bottom-line.

Rakesh Kumar is a business consultant of Zed Service?. Zed Service? is a leading service management software in India. Zed Service? has lots of innovative features including repair management software, customer services software etc. To know more visit our web site http://www.service-management-software.net now!

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The 5 best third-party apps with Lion full-screen support

Want some great Mac apps that work with Lion’s new full-screen mode and really show off why the new feature is one of the best new additions to OS X? We’ve got you covered. Each of the following apps has been updated to include the telltale little icon of two diverging arrows that indicates full-screen support, and each works very well when in that mode.

Most of us likely do a lot of reading on our Macs. Reeder for Mac is a great way to make that reading even more of a pleasure. The RSS app ties into your Google Reader account, and syncs read and unread status Google and with Reeder for iOS devices. The Mac version was already a lot like the iPad version when it first came out, and with full-screen support in the latest version, it’s even more so. Grab a coffee, but leave the newspaper on the table; Reeder with full-screen active provides a distraction-free environment for catching up with all the latest.

When you need to remotely access your computer, there isn’t always an easy solution, especially when you’re trying to connect from the road. Screens (combined with Screens Connect for hassle-free remote access) is a great way to quickly and easily setup and manage VNC access between Macs. With full-screen support, working on your home computer away from home (or your work computer from home) feels even more like you’re actually working on the target machine, since everything you see is on the remote Mac.

I noted this update when it arrived, just ahead of Lion’s release, but it’s worth noting again. Fluid provides the ability to turn any website into its own, dedicated Mac app by creating a site-specific browser (SSB). Facebook, Google Docs, and Google Plus are all favorite Fluid apps of mine, and full-screen support means I can keep them even more safely contained away from more productive, work-related apps and content.

If you’re a regular blogger with multiple sites on the go, you’ve probably heard of the Mac standby MarsEdit. It’s a blogging client that’s compatible with most major blogging services, including Blogger and Tumblr, and it’s a native Mac app. MarsEdit’s latest update allows you to compose and edit posts in full-screen mode, which means you can get down to writing in a much more distraction-free environment.

Apple’s new Mail app in Lion remedies a lot of the problems many users had with it, and brings some nice new features as well, but that doesn’t mean it’ll feel right for everyone. Alternatives are always appreciated, and none maybe more so than Sparrow, a nice light native email client originally designed for Gmail. Sparrow now works with most other email services as well, and it has a refreshing simplicity that Apple’s own offering can’t match. Plus, now that it has full-screen support, it provides a great environment for catching up on your correspondence in a really focused way.

Those aren’t the only apps with full-screen support, but they are my favorite. What are yours, and which would you like to see get the update that don’t have it yet?

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