Companies that don ’ t offer very good after-sales service often aren ’ t doing it on purpose . For example , a lot of businesses are just so focused on filling the pipeline and doing a good job for existing customers , they don ’ t pay much attention to after-sales care . They ’ ll deal with problems as and when they arise , but it ’ s a more reactive part of the process , rather than proactive . It ’ s a shame too , because even if the service has been OK up to this point , if a customer ’ s last experience of a company is not as favourable , or any final niggles don ’ t get sorted out efficiently , it could mean the difference between a good and bad review .

Employ best practice to stay ahead

After-sales service can vary from one installation business to another , but some examples of good practice in this area are sending personalised thank you notes once the project is complete , making calls to make sure everything is OK with the installation , and staying in touch with for example reminders to clean and maintain new windows and doors at regular intervals . Of course , the most obvious and arguably most important after-sales care in an installation business is provided by the service engineer .

Service engineers can sometimes be viewed as a slightly separate entity within an installation business because they work remotely in the same way fitting teams do , but also because their involvement comes later in the process . However , the more you can

bring every team member into the fold with shared information , and easy communication , the better the service you can provide .

Integrating teams for full impact

AdminBase from Ab Initio , is an installer management system that brings all elements of an installation business together , including fitting teams and service engineers that work remotely . In fact , we have seen a lot of interest in our AdminBase Service app recently , which works seamlessly with the rest of the AdminBase CRM to make service engineers ’ lives easier . Using the app , service engineers can see all relevant information about a given project and appointment on their device . They could even see , for example , if there is an outstanding balance that needs to be collected .

Once at the project the service engineer can collect data about the work they complete that day and upload it back into the system . This might include whether the appointment resolved the issue , or whether any additional parts are required to finish the work . If the work is complete the engineer can collect a signature to sign off the service call and if they need additional parts , they can note this for the service call administrator within the app . While all of this vastly improves efficiency within the installation business , homeowners also benefit because all of the details captured during the service call can automatically be e-mailed to the customer on completion , so they have a record of the work that has been done .

In a highly competitive market , service has always been essential , but it ’ s an area that is growing in importance as customers ’ expectations increase . Software is now a vital tool in helping companies up their game . Installation businesses that are going the extra mile to improve efficiencies and in turn offer the best customer experience are the ones that will come out on top with better endorsements and more referrals .

www . abinitiosoftware . co . uk

66 AUGUST 2024

CLEARVIEW-UK . COM