Q 1.
How do international firms provide after sales product support service? Give
examples.
Ans.
After-sales support, sometimes called after-sales service, is any service provided after
a customer has purchased a product. After-sales support may be provided by a retailer,
manufacturer or a third-party customer service or training provider and may include
warranty service, training, repair or upgrade, or various other services. After-sales
support may be considered to be part of a company's overall marketing strategy. Some
customers might seek out a company’s products based on its after-sales service, for
example, Best Buy Co.’s Geek Squad or Apple Inc.'s Apple Care.
Some examples of after-sales support include companies helping with the installation
process such as computer software, maintaining products through free or discounted
service oil changes included with purchase of a new car or via a paid-for service plan,
and having a clear exchange and return policy and providing a customer
service number.
Some other examples include:
Help desk and technical support services: Such after-sales support may come
free with the purchase of an item and may also be sold as part of a more
comprehensive service plan, such as how Best Buy Co. Sells Geek Squad
computer-related service plans. Service offered through a help or support desk
may include technical assistance for personal computers, mobile phones,
software, machinery and a variety of other products.
Real-time online support that includes email, chat, forums and a social media
interface (and monitoring) responds to public complaints and criticisms. This
may include handling returns or repairs.
Automated customer service lines: This may include advice and solutions to
frequent or even more complex issues and questions that are easily accessed at
any time, either by phone or online.
Automated support resources: This may include easily accessible online
solutions that involve forums where customers may interact with other users or
experts, post questions or search for answers.
Some of examples are:
o Infosys
o Accenture
o Cognizant
o Capgemini
o Wipro
o Tcs
Q 2.
Case Study
The video recorder wars: The winning formula
1. Companies often spend resources on certain investigative
undertakings in an effort to make discoveries that can help develop
new products or way of doing things or work towards enhancing
pre-existing products or processes. These activities come under
the Research and Development (R&D).
R&D is an important means for achieving future growth and
maintaining a relevant product in the market.
An effective New Product Development strategy will bring the
right products to market quickly and cost effectively. To succeed it
needs the support of market research throughout.
Research and development is an essential aspect of any business
plan, especially in the field of marketing. A company must
constantly analyse customer’s needs, desires, and demands, and at
the same time, keep up with the ever-changing trends in the
market. In the research and development phase you must first
clearly define your target market, and then, come up with a plan of
action to bring your product or service into that market.
2. many thoughts that it had the better image quality and the Betamax is
decidedly better built. Compare ejecting a tape on the Betamax to the VHS.
First let’s talk about the Betamax, it was smooth and then the VHS that was
abrupt and wore out mechanism. As I see I found VHS was the better solution.
First, the VHS was lighter than the Betamax(29 and a half lbs compared to 36
lbs for that Betamax machine). That’s a huge difference for a mass
manufactured object. It impacts everything from material costs to assembly time
to shipping costs. So, at the low end of the market the VHS machine were
cheaper than Sony’s Betamax. Second the earliest Betamax tapes played for
only one hour. VHS played for 2 hours enough time for a movie. The ultimate
killer, though was the rental market. While Betamax focused its ads and
energies on time shifting; their ads featured headlines like “watch whatever,
whenever”. While JVC, the maker of the VHS system, created relationships
with the nascent video rental industry. When this market grew, VHS dominated
in titles. While you could for a while find both formats eventually retailers
began giving shelf space to the slightly more dominating brand. Which then
dominated even more. So, the Betamax versus VHS dispels the notion that
simply being first to market is the most important issue. It reminds that
technical excellence in one area isn’t enough here the superior picture quality of
Betamax but that all technical aspects matter. For any mass manufactured
object, the winner is usually the one that is good enough.