For steady growth in sales of any product, its reach in all parts of the country is very essential. What is meant by reach ? Obviously, it is not only reaching or dumping products to a market by the vendors, but also ensuring a prompt after-sales service facility. For a vendor to be successful in any market, especially where its products are being distributed through channel partners, it is very important to establish a dedicated, responsible and well-equipped service center.
Advertisements and sales campaigns in other ways may initially improve the sales of a branded product in a particular market, however, beyond a certain point when the news of poor service facility spreads, it becomes very hard for the channel partners to push the products in the market.
There are several vendors who have established service centers in B or C class cities just for their namesake, the centers are not at all equipped to redress the customers complaints. In some cases, they even unjustifiably charge the customers who approach them for service.
Not only this is a problem in the B or C class cities, but also in A class cities, it is often difficult to locate the service center. Many a vendor outsources this job, thereby, the customer needs to dial up the toll free service no., register his or her complaint, get the registration no. and then approach the service center with his or her diseased or dead product. Occurrences are not rare when getting access to these toll-free numbers becomes next to impossible. Then comes the trouble of searching out the service partner s workshop location. Very often for the sake of economy, these small partners set up their establishments at a remote corner of the city or town. Thus, it leads to a big harassment for the customer. Additionally, the buyer needs to waste time, energy and bear the risk of carrying the valuable product to a long distance.
Yet another disadvantage of the toll free numbers, which are often printed on the product literature is when the numbers change, even the registered buyers are not informed of it. While publishing products’ advertisements in newspapers targeting a particular region, how many vendors mention the service center details?
The impact of the above shortcomings affects sales, and consequently affects resellers at all levels. Product vendors must address these issues as their top priority. Also, government needs to make it mandatory that whenever an advertisement for any IT product appears in a media or a sales campaign is launched otherwise, proper service centers’ information should be communicated. Also, at least till the warranty period ends, all the registered buyers should be communicated changes in service facility location or timing or contact no. (if any) either through e-mail or through registered letter.