Aftersales Management

Aftersales Management in the Retail Sector explores the immense amount of money that is wasted in the retail industry every year on badly managed aftersales processes, and how to prevent this happening. What happens after the sale has taken place, if problems then occur? How are they dealt with, and what processes can be implemented to make sure that they are dealt with more cost effectively for the company, at the same time improving customer service and increasing sales?The book starts by describing some of the historical practices and then attempts to remove some of the myths of aftersales service by explaining the legal position on customer rights. It then moves onto trying to understand what customers wants, what sales people want and how these points interface with the needs of the teams within the rest of a retailer's company. From this, the next step is to design the new aftersales proposition and understanding of the key pressure point which is the time taken to resolve any problems. After this, the book moves onto implementation, explaining how to manage key stakeholders both within the business (i.e. the various business functions and departments) and outside (such as manufacturers and suppliers). There is a section on reporting systems and structures and there are worked examples to show readers just how much of a saving they can make if the changes are made. Finally, there is a chapter on how to both manage the implementation the necessary changes and more importantly hold onto the gains made. The book is of use in resolving the problems of any retailer but principally it is aimed at sellers of larger goods.