Providing 24/7 customer service across a large geography is challenging from even an operational point of view. It gets tougher when your customers speak many different languages.
The first contact our customers normally have with our customer support is with the call centre.
However, a call centre has significant disadvantages. Especially in a country like ours or a geography like Europe which speaks many languages. So running a call centre is expensive, across time zones and languages.
We understand; we are in India with more than 25 recognized languages. This is probably more varied than Europe! So, if your customers require 24/7 customer service, then you need to also plan for manpower that can handle all those languages your customers speak.
Simply C2 is available in 18 languages and in 55 countries around the world.
Using a mobile app like Simply 2 to provide access to 24/7 customer service can significantly streamline the process and improve efficiency. Here are some key advantages and considerations when implementing Simply C2 app for logging repair service requests:
Advantages of app-based 24/7 customer service:
Accessibility: Simply C2 provides users with the flexibility to log service requests from anywhere, anytime. This is especially valuable for customers who may need urgent repairs or encounter issues outside of regular business hours.
Real-time Communication: Simply C2 enables real-time communication between customers and service providers. Users can receive updates on the status of their repair requests and communicate with service personnel directly through the app.
Photo and Video Uploads: Simply C2 can allow users to attach photos or videos of the issues they’re experiencing. This visual information can help service providers better understand the problem, potentially leading to faster and more accurate resolutions.
GPS Location Tracking: Integration with GPS features can automatically provide the service provider with the customer’s location. This is particularly useful for field service technicians who need to reach the site for repairs.
Push Notifications: Users can receive instant notifications about the status of their service request, appointment confirmations, or any updates from the service provider. This enhances communication and keeps customers informed.
Integration with Calendar and Scheduling: Mobile apps can integrate with users’ calendars, allowing them to schedule repair appointments at convenient times. Service providers can also use scheduling features to optimize their workflow.
Digital approvals: Customers can digitally sign off on repairs quotations or services through the Simply C2 app, providing a paperless and efficient way to close out service requests.
Our design considerations:
User-Friendly Interface: Ensure that the app has an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Customers and service technicians should be able to navigate the app easily to log or manage service requests.
Security and Privacy: Given the sensitive nature of repair requests, prioritize security features to protect customer data. Implement secure login procedures and encryption to safeguard user information. We ensured that we strictly adhere to the letter and spirit of the DPDP Act and GDPR.
Integration with Saleswah CRM in the backend: The app should seamlessly integrate with the Saleswah CRM at the backend- ensuring that any customer service request is seamlessly logged into the Saleswah CRM account of your- the service provider.
Watch the video to see how Simply C2 mobile app for logging repair service requests can enhance customer satisfaction, streamline operations, and improve overall efficiency in the repair service process.
How much time do you have or wish to invest in creating a customer service management solution?
Conventional wisdom
A Customer Service Management Solution implementation in your company will involve massive efforts over months involving
– Requirement gathering with a the help of a consultant/ system integrator
– Creating technical specifications for customization
– Implementing customized processes, UI for your unique needs.
And, we have not mentioned the time taken for internal adoption, people getting used to newer workflows etc.
It will cost you time, money and even peace of mind.
But it need not be that way.
Come to Saleswah CRM customer service management solution
A Saleswah CRM based customer service management solution (service CRM) implementation will take days- and will require no coding, no consultants and will be totally under your control.
Most customers get started in one week. If you need help; we are there. And most implementations are free.
What will you get?
Saleswah CRM customer service management solution software helps you automate your customer service function – in most cases out of the box. No matter if your customers come to your service centres or your service executives go to customer locations- we can cater to your service management scenario.
Track warranty or AMC of your sold equipment by serial number
Repair, PM, Installation, Calibration… all sorts of ticket types
User configurable tickets- total control on data capture from the field.
Divide territories by executive -for instant allocation of tickets to the queues.
Track technician on mobile app
Track spares usage and inventory at all levels
Repair estimates on the go
Collect payments on the app
And, many more.
A contact centre replacement for free!
When you set up and configure Saleswah CRM for your customer service, do not forget to set up Simply C2 mobile app. For FREE!
Simply C2 is a free to use mobile app on the Android platform for YOUR CUSTOMERS to log complaints which get instantly added to your service ticket list.
Saleswah Service CRM is a web and mobile based software that helps solve critical customer service issues.
Get your customer service streamlined. … Speak to us today.
Inaugural offer!
Enable Simply C2 for your customers for an irresistible offer of Rs 8000/- for a year. Follow this link to activate.
The right spare parts are used for the right equipment
The right amount of consumables are used
Spare parts availability with the engineers
Stock audit compliance
Spare parts management helps select right parts for the right equipment
In case of spare parts usage, we do not want the decision to be left to the technician on the spot.
As with repair, we want him to “follow the manual”.
We want him to follow the prescribed procedure. And, also to use the right parts. Because, if he did not, there could be bad consequences from machine health perspective.
Right spare parts for the right equipment
The simplest example is when you replace a “fuse” wire. The temptation to go over and under specification is huge- especially if you do not happen to have the right “fuse-wire” with you.
Of course this can lead to disaster.
Not all mis-use or wrong-use leads to disasters. But, should the technician decide? Let technology help him with suggesting spares that need to be used.
Spare parts management software- right amount of consumables
Let’s say your car goes for servicing- and the lube oil needs to be changed. Of course different cars need different amount of lubes. And the software guides the technician on how much is right.
And the same software helps, if you are managing a team of technicians, to ensure that the right amount of lube is used for the right car.
Consumables or spare parts usage, technology helps.
Plan right stocking levels for optimum spare parts usage
Saleswah CRM – how to manage stocking levels of spare parts at all users
You need to plan for the right stocking levels of spare parts- at all levels.
Plan for urgent and frequently used spare parts usage and availability with your technicians.
Plan for re-stocking based on spare parts usage.
A spare parts management software integrated with your service CRM will help you plan against nasty surprises.
Comply with stock audit for parts
Stock audit is an integral part of spare parts management. It happens once a year but when it does, your numbers should match the physical audit.
Saleswah CRM helps.
Since no parts are used without being indented for and approved. Since we track parts usage at the lowest point from the central stocking point and every point in between. Since we can produce reports for stock levels availability.
Physical stock taking of spare parts usage is a breeze.
A service CRM implementation is hard to do. Based on our experience, we put together this checklist. Hopefully this helps in your service CRM implementation.
No matter if you are designing a service CRM from the ground up or simply interested in an existing service CRM implementation, follow the framework below.
Type of service and deliverables
What are the types of repair/ maintenance activities that are performed?
– Repair
– Preventive/ scheduled maintenance
– Installation
Any other?
It’s absolutely necessary to have a clear understanding of all the reasons your customers need your service for. And, it is important to document your process for each of them for a successful service CRM implementation.
Service Venue
Where do you provide the service? Is it at the customer location or at your own service center?
Important question. While your own service center might provide a much more controlled environment, in most products, there is no option but to go to the customer location and provide service.
The challenges are different.
Company policy regarding after sales support
This differs widely from one company to the other. It’s important to know what your policy is.
Do you service only equipment which is under service contract/ warranty? Or you service equipment on an ad hoc basis (chargeable)?
Your service CRM implmentation needs that input for design.
What is your repair process?
In service CRM implementation, think long and hard about your repair process. Starting with logging a service ticket to the closure of the ticket. Break it up into smaller steps and document how you:
– log a service ticket, assign the ticket to someone, track the ticket to closure.
Logging a service ticket starts the process. Start my defining who can log a ticket- your reception/ dedicated call center/ any one in service function. Or, do you want to allow self service for logging service complaints: on your website or through an app?
You should also know what information about the repair do you want to capture- fault, repairs, spares used, physical condition of the equipment etc. Do you need to notify someone regarding the closure of the ticket? In what format and when?
How do you perform preventive maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is extremely important in many service scenarios, especially with equipment with mechanical parts. It ensures that the need for ad-hoc repairing is reduced.
How do you schedule preventive maintenance? Is it at fixed intervals? Or does the maintenance interval vary based on how much is the wear and tear based on observed/ projected run hour?
After scheduling, does the customer need to be informed and his approval required? Does a manager from your side approve the visit?
Installation:
Installation
Does your product need installation at customer premises? Installation can be simple- like that for most home appliances or complex- like for large, complex industrial or engineering products.
As with the other types of tickets, document:
– who logs an installation ticket? With what information? How the ticket is assigned/ re-assigned to someone? How the ticket is tracked to close?
Sometimes sale and subsequent delivery can itself trigger an installation note. If that is part of your business process, make sure you document that as part of your service CRM implementation.
Warranty/ AMC:
Do you have a process for tracking warranty and annual maintenance contract (AMC) on serial numbers of equipment?
Do you have a process for chasing after renewals of AMC or converting warranty expiry into AMC?
Is your warranty or AMC driven by case to case basis depending on business requirements or is it the same warranty terms for each product type for all cases?
These questions are important for it is clearly needed for the service CRM implementation.
List of products under service and spares
– products you are currently selling
– products that you have stopped selling but will still service
Also, while some spare parts are used across all equipment, there are others that may be usable only with specific equipment. Careful mapping of spare parts with the appropriate equipment is of enormous help to your service personnel and is crucial to an effective service CRM implementation.
Defects/ suggested repairs
Do you have a list of defects and repairs for each of your products/ product categories? It really helps to map common defects and suggested repairs to products so that your field service people get prompted/ guided correctly.
Repair estimates/ Invoices
If you get a service ticket from a customer whose equipment was not under warranty/ AMC- do you charge him for repair or simply refuse?
If you charge him, then, what is the process for- raising a repair estimate and getting it approved?
The above outlines a basic framework for service CRM implementation. After implementing this, you can think of advanced features like SLA management, flexible scheduling, mobile app for location tracking and so on.
I interviewed a recent customer about why he wanted to implement service CRM in his company.
What does he use Saleswah CRM for? They run a large number of service centers around the country which repair water treatment equipment of their own manufacture – dosing pumps etc. Their customers are spread all over India. They sell through a large network of distributors and retailers.
Here are his 4 top reasons to implement service CRM. In the order he narrated to me.
Create a system for logging and prioritizing service calls- crying baby gets the most milk. Should NOT.
Post facto analysis- Monitor targets/ efficiency. Compare across equipment, service centres, technicians
Restore confidence in fairness of the spares usage/ requirement- not change them arbitrarily and ensure the genuinely required parts are used. Also ensure only genuine spares are used.
Cut down on the time spent in communicating with customers regarding the stages of the service
Let’s dive in, im some detail.
First reason to implement service CRM: prioritize service tickets
He wanted some method – to restore order and a sense of calm. Too often, his service technicians would simply attend to those customers who were shouting at them across the counter or the phone line. Frequently tickets logged weeks ago were pending. No one followed a system.
This is how his repairs looked like on his service notice board
“This was my top-most reason to implement service CRM- I did not want my technicians making these decisions under pressure”.
Now, after he has implemented, the CRM gives him alerts when a ticket is delayed beyond justification.
Second reason to implement service CRM: post-facto analysis
“I had no actionable data”- he says of his second reason to implement service CRM.
He wanted to monitor targets- and track if his team is meeting them.
How many repairs per day? Per week/ month?
Implement service CRM to get all sorts of data about your customer service
Now cut the data by service centre, by product type. You get all that now at your fingertips. Which equipment is failing more often? Is this a problem with certain batches of production?
Which spares are being used most often?
Now, he gets reports on all the above- which helps him identify areas for improvement. He has already identified that he needs a service center in a city he did not have one in.
Third reason why implement service CRM: spares management
“Using non-genuine spares is a sure way to kill my brand and goodwill”- says he.
He wants to be fair- why charge for spares when you don’t need to? But, if spare parts are used, they must be genuine and customers must have confidence in the repair process.
“The only way to ensure fair usage of spares and charge the customers in a transparent way was to implement service CRM. I track spares from my central warehouse to all my service centers – to the ultimate repairs done.”
He has already reduced his spares outgo over last year- even though he is servicing more equipment than last year.
Fourth reason to implement service CRM: streamline customer communication
Before they implemented Saleswah service CRM, his team spent a lot of time on the phone. Communicating or responding to customers.
Have you received it?
Have you started working on it? How much will it cost? What’s wrong with it?
Can you do it faster?
Or, it could be his team chasing the customer.
Please approve the repair estimate so we can start working. It’s repaired – come pick it up. Or, we have sent it- here’s the details.
Phone and whatsapp. It was all ad-hoc.
Now, those days are truly in the past.
He wants to specially thank Simply C2– the companion app- which we implemented for his customers.
All transaction communication is now automated. The moment the equipment reaches the service center- there is a ticket acknowledgement which is sent to the customer.
Customer gets the status update through the Simply C2 app, for ALL repair stages. Not just that – he can approve estimates and make payments through the app. And, download invoices.
We want everyone of our customers to be able to allow their clients- that is you- the flexibility of logging complaints 24/7/365. Without the cost of setting up a call center or sharing mobile numbers of customer service.
Simply C2 is an app for you. When you look for manufacturers and log a complaint- it creates a ticket with the manufacturer and sends them an alert. And the ticket lies there till it’s closed.
So, nothing falls through the cracks.
If you have been wondering how to set up Simply C2 in 2 minutes and log your first complaint, read on.
First step- to set up Simply C2
Sign in/ Sign-up
Sign-in or Sign up for the first time- the process is same for both- using either SMS or WhatsApp based Login.
2nd step
Update your profile.
As you can see, a lot of the fields are filled up already.
Fill up the rest. Especially your email address and name. Verify your postal address, because the service technicians – if they need to reach you, will need this.
This will help you when you want to log a complaint.
3rd Step
Log a complaint
If it is your first time, you probably have no default service provider- no one already selected.
So, look for the product category that you want to complain about. Search.
Then select the manufacturer, you want to complain to.
Want to directly select the manufacturer? Go to the list of manufacturers and click on the first letter of their name.
Once you have selected the manufacturer, just type/ select your model and serial number. Also write some details of your issue.
Take a picture!
Once you click the submit button, congratulations! You have just logged your first complaint in Simply C2.
Imagine you are a customer with a piece of faulty equipment. You are trying to reach a company phone number. Here are several things you, in all probability, do not know.
What is the phone number you have to reach
How to get thru the IVR menu options
Where is the warranty card?
If you have been in that situation (I know I have been), and you want a better way, read on. This is about a creative way to solve the same problem, using a mobile app called Simply C2.
Simply C2 is a mobile app meant for consumers to use with which they can connect to manufacturers like you. To log service complaints. And track service complaints. And receive itemized estimates, GST invoices, and even make payments online. More here.
So let us say, as a customer, you own a Microwave oven from Samsung, a TV from Sony, and a Washing Machine from Bosch. You can connect to each of these companies from the same profile in the same app. But of course, Samsung will only know that you own their Microwave oven. As Sony would only know about the TV.
Are you a manufacturer of equipment that requires after sales service?
Consider signing up for our inaugural offer and enable Simply C2 for your customers. Your customers will thank you. No more calling the call center. Go here to see what you get for the starting price of Rs 8000/- only for a year!
Like the Digilocker
Grahak Setu is like the Digilocker service – it stores your customers’ information and which he may share with you when he needs to.
Of course, Digilocker services are provided by the Govt of India. We are not the GOI. We are only using the Digilocker to illustrate a point. Like Digilocker, we also use mobile authentication and then link all transactions and profile information to your mobile number.
Like Digilocker services can be used to get authenticated with and get serviced from many Government departments, a customer can use his profile to connect to many service providers.
Who is Grahak Setu for
This is meant for those customers who are fed up with call centers.
This is meant for customers who will appreciate a single place to keep all their equipment details.
This is meant for those, yes, like me, who misplace their warranty cards.
Why you should promote Simply C2 to your customers
Features (as your customer sees it)
Keep list of equipment, under your care – household or office- in one place
Simply C2 mobile app helps you to safely keep details of your household equipment or those in your office in one place. Details of products of various types from many vendors can be stored.
So, next time your equipment needs repair, you can simply locate the equipment in the list inside your app, and send in a service request in a couple of clicks.
Track warranty and AMC coverage
When the customer logs a service ticket with the manufacturing company, it vets the serial number- either remotely or when the technician visits. He decides the warranty coverage and, updates in the system.
This process works even better when the service vendor/ product manufacturer is using the Saleswah CRM service management backend as the entire process is online, seamless, and leaves no scope for errors.
Ship products to service centers for repair
There are some products which can only be repaired in a service center, like laptops, mobile phones, cars, water ATMs, etc. Simply C2 connected to a provider who is using Saleswah CRM can facilitate shipment to the repair center and track the entire repair flow there as well.
Get item wise repair estimate
Service technicians using Saleswah can inspect the equipment under repair and immediately generate an itemized estimate for repairs needed. What is more, he can then push the quotation to the mobile of the customer’s Simply C2 App. The customer can then pay online after approving the estimate.
When the customer pays online, the status of the ticket changes immediately to “Queued for repair” and the technician who was assigned the repair gets an alert. This saves a lot of time and effort on his part to have to check back with his accounts department.
Online payment and approval of repair estimate
The customer makes the payment from the mobile app using a highly secure payment gateway. He gets a confirmation in the app that the payment has been made. He also sees the status of the ticket has changed to “Queued for repair”. He also knows who the technician is who is handling his equipment and he can exchange messages for clarifications with him.
Messaging between the customer and technician handling the repair is simple, direct, and fruitful. It does away with the need to have someone manage the phone lines.
Once the repair is done, the technician hands it back to dispatch and the software prints out the GST invoice that accompany the shipment back to the customer- or simply hands it over to the customer and post the paid invoice in the app. The customer receives the repaired product back.
Why should you use the Saleswah CRM backend for service center management
As a manufacturer providing after-sales service, you can appreciate getting fast intimation from your clients for service-related issues. Which is what Simply C2 does. You will receive an email from the system every time there is a service request logged in your name.
Accurate information of customer location and vetted contact information in service leads
Email intimation from the Grahak Setu Platform
Every address and mobile number provided by the complainant is vetted carefully. So, you can be assured of genuine leads. Also, there is no time lag between the customer logging a complaint on our platform and this email reaching you.
Any email that comes to your inbox from a customer needs to be attended to. This is unfortunately a task requiring manual intervention. But it need not be so.
If you had a Saleswah CRM connected at the backend, the lead will get logged in the system and the customer will be sent an acknowledgment in the Simply C2 app within seconds.
Build up an installed base of equipment by site
Whether automatically – as in connected to Saleswah CRM- or manually, you will slowly build up an accurate database of equipment and the persons in charge and their location. If you did it in Saleswah, the process is automatic and over time, you can run cross-selling or upselling campaigns.
Provide the right level of support – warranty, AMC or paid
When you log service tickets and log them in the database, you will also start logging additional information like serial numbers, warranty expiry date, etc. This will help you estimate service requirements going forward and provide the right level of support as per requirements to the customer.
If you provide sales and provide support to other businesses, you can group these installations within the companies you support. And tag both the sites and contacts accordingly.
Manage spares part inventory and track usage
One massive advantage of using a service CRM like Saleswah is that you can create a spare parts list and tag each part with one or multiple pieces of equipment. Then, while repairing, you can also track the usage and send quotations and invoices for the parts used in the repair.
You can assign managers with approval roles for spares usage.
Assign to technician
When a ticket is logged in Saleswah, the first thing we need to do is to find a technician who covers that area and assign it to him.
The technician will visit and help fix the problem. Of course, if you provide support only in your service centers, then your technician will let the customer know what the correct usage is-on phone or chat. If he is unable to fix the problem on the phone, he can have the customer bring the product over (or ship it) to the service center.
Generate repair estimate
Get paid online and ticket status changes
Once the technician inspects the equipment, he knows
Alerts and notifications
Your service team gets an alert at every change in status of the ticket- and so does the customer through the mobile app.
This ensures no surprise. Everyone knows the correct status and in case of urgency, you can always send a chat message.
Receive and ship equipment back to the customer.
Once the repair is done, a GST invoice is generated from the system and emailed to the customer – also pushed to the Grahak Setu app for him to download at any time.
Benefits of Simply C2 and Saleswah together to you
Call centers are expensive- smaller companies can’t afford
Having a call center working for even 12 hours a day is a luxury only really large companies can afford. Simply C2 allows you to provide a 24/7 service call logging facility to your clients at zero cost. Even if you did not use the more advanced functionality of the Saleswah CRM, this single benefit is enough for most people to consider moving to Simply C2.
Create installed base for upselling and cross-selling
When you use Saleswah CRM service automation software at the backend, you will not only have an accurate installed base of equipment but will have rich transactions data- repairs made, maintenance done, spare parts used, and so on. This is very useful; for later on cross-selling and up-selling.
Get authenticated data for customers
Address verified by GPS
The first experience of the customer is extremely easy and takes less than a minute. Punch in your mobile number, get an OTP and you are in. Once in, you need to fill in your profile data; which includes the address – the address is prefilled by location data by using GPS coordinates. So, the customer does not have to do much.
But, you get very authentic data which later on will help your service technicians in locating the place the customer is in or your service center in shipping the repaired items back to.
Navigating to the customer site using GPS data
Customer authenticated installed base data
Since the customer is filling up the installed base data and later authenticated by your service team, this adds hugely to the accuracy of the installed base information.
Think. You currently need your customers to fill up a warranty card and mail it back. How many do, honestly? By letting your customers fill up their information by themselves, you will easily double your installed base data, at no cost.
Understand technician load and efficiency over time
Is there someone in your team who is carrying the load of the entire team? Is there someone, who needs a push? Can we find out which equipment needs a lot of repairs? Can we check if some technician’s repairs need a lot of rework?
Understand equipment failure rate over time
We have seen that within six months of starting to use the CRM, you can start building a “service profile” based on data
Spares usage stats
Spares usage is one of the key functions of a service operation that needs tracking.
Right spares availability at the right time leads to effective repairs, faster call closures, and customer delight. Spares are also a large part of expenses of the service operations and thus, Saleswah CRM devotes a lot of effort to ensure
Inventory management of spare parts
Easy indenting and approval of parts.
Easy tagging spares with equipment so that technicians find it easy to use the right parts to repair the right equipment
Track usage of parts while repairing and make it easy to tally inventory.
All updates come thru the app.
Whenever your technician and the customer need to communicate, they can simply message each other -the technician using Saleswah and the customer using the Simply C2 app can still communicate through messaging. This is on top of all system-generated updates that are sent to the customer with the Simply C2 app.
Why customers love Simply C2
Reduce dependence on the call centre
Now customers do not need to wait for a call center agent to come online, nor worry about miscommunication. Logging service calls have never been easier.
Maintain all equipment data in one place, systematically
Simply C2 will eventually do away with the need to have paper records of your purchases, the warranty cards, and need to have reminders about when the AMC will be due.
Transparent itemized estimate and ease of payment
The technician in Saleswah creates an itemized repair estimate. The quote goes to the mobile app inbox where it is seen by the customer.
He approves and makes payment from the app itself using a secure payment gateway. On the other side, the Saleswah user immediately knows that the payment is realized as the app changes the ticket status, automatically and pushes it into the rep[air workflow.
GST invoices generated from the system- no need to chase
The customer does not need to chase up his invoice. For that matter, even you don’t have to take any special efforts to create an invoice- the moment a ticket is closed, the Saleswah system generates a GST tax compliant invoice which is immediately made available in the Simply C2 app for download.
You get to see only the data of the customers that have signed up and agreed to share their data with you. You can also restrict the privilege of the customer – his ability to
2. You get to see your equipment – supplied by you- in his installed base. Other suppliers see their equipment. None of you get to see each others’ equipment.
3. Secure payment gateway to ensure risk-free payments.
The other apps from our stable that are closely related
There are three mobile apps in the Playstore that are closely related to Grahak Setu; both were built by us.
Initiative Grahak Setu– this is a customized version of the Simply C2 App; for the exclusive use of Initiative Water, Pune: a pioneer in water treatment equipment like Manual Multiport Valve, Automatic Multiport Valve, Water ATM, Dosing Pumps etc.
Saleswah CRM – That’s us; on the playstore. This app works for field sales and field support people- changing interface with the changing roles of the user: sales or service.
Urban Clap (Urban Company): how Grahak Setu is different
Why are we not trying to be another Urban Company?
For answers, you should simply look at the reviews of the app on the Playstore or on this Quora page. Just random viewing, no agenda, no filtering.
The comments highlight an issue with the model.
What did Urban Company set out to do
Urban Clap- now Urban Company– brought together all the neighborhood handymen- plumbers, electricians, hairdressers, and the like on one platform. They were trained in using the service provider app, given some coaching in upselling and cross-selling (my guess), probably personal grooming as well and that became a marketplace cum directory service. Urban Company would take a cut of all the transactions.
Urban Clap (the original name) rebranded itself as Urban Company in 2020 to focus on beauty, spa, grooming, repairs, cleaning, painting, fitness, and yoga.
The business model of Urban Company
Like Uber or Ola take a cut off cab drivers’ earnings. Though you could argue this is more like Oyo model- like Oyo takes a certain part of your monthly “inventory”, Urban Clap takes a part of your daily working hours- it gets you bookings.
This works for generic services. Like plumbing, electrician, even personal grooming (haircuts, etc). Well enough that they have grown fast and big and hardly anyone of us would have not used their services.
The services are not cheap. But, in an urban milieu, with double income families the norm, the relative security of letting someone in your home who has been vetted by a service- has worked in their favour.
Things that are problematic with the Urban Company model
Quality assurance on a grand scale- as the size of the operations increase, it has not been easy to find quality service- providers.
Also, when you repair products, access to genuine spares is required. So, you would find, in many cases, the Urban Company technician would throw up his hands and advise you to contact the manufacturer.
In a nutshell, when it involves repair of an expensive piece of equipment- be it a washing machine, TV, Fridge, Diesel Genset, Security System etc, you need to contact the manufacturer of the equipment.
We are all customers. Whether or not we sell or service products, we buy products and frequently need service.
The most go-to method of asking for service for your home appliances, office equipment, or even machinery is to pick up the phone and speak to the company call center. Unfortunately, this does not work most of the time.
Call centers will take your call “Monday to Friday/ Saturday” and will inform you that “working hours are from 8 AM to 5 pm” if you happen to call even a minute outside the working hours. And, if you did manage to get through, deal with the IVR settings that change every month, unfamiliar accents, and worse a different language than what you are used to.
When you get thru to an agent who knows his job, the work is usually done. The agent notes down your details inputs them into his service CRM, and you soon get an SMS confirmation.
No one is happy- the service provider or the customer
The troubles with this are many. As I said earlier, this suffers from several problems:
Timing limitations: if your appliance or equipment becomes faulty late evening, you have to wait till next morning- amid the rush for getting ready for work, sending kids to school.
Communication issues: language, managing the IVR system. Potential for mis-understanding.
No visibility- as someone logging the complaint, you have no visibility to the repair process- who your assigned repairman is, what defects were found and later rectified.
If you are the company that has set up the call center and is paying for the telecom infrastructure and the salaries of the call center agents, you must know that it is expensive. and for a service that does not even work 24/7.
Warranty tracking nightmare
I don’t know about you, but keeping track of the warranty of purchased goods and services is difficult. You need to keep all the purchase papers and invoices safe. Then, keep track of when the washing machine warranty ends, or if your microwave oven’s annual maintenance contract should be renewed for one more year, and when.
“What are you changing?”
I send the laptop to the service center- and then I wait. An hour later, someone emerges and tells you- all that is wrong. And gives you an estimate of charges. You have no idea if he is right. No idea if what he is asking for is justified. So, you pay up.
And, the service providers (manufacturers) are working in the dark. Especially when the products have been sold and resold. They do not know the size of the active installed base of equipment, so are unable to plan for spares, trained personnel, and geographical needs for support.
The crux of the problem: how to improve customer satisfaction
So, you, as a service provider, are spending good money on providing a service that does not make your customers happy. What if you want to provide world-class support to your customers but can’t afford to spend money like the MNCs or the large corporates can?
Anytime, anywhere access to log service requests for your customers. What’s more, you don’t need any one manning the call center. This is the ultimate self – service app for your customers. They authenticate with their mobile number, add their own equipment, log service requests, get upto the minute status of the equipment under repair and can even chat with the service executive assigned to their case.
Everything is a matter of record- and everything is transparent. You as a service provider can send itemized repair estimates, get his approval and even payments.
Controlled access to the Saleswah CRM- You can configure the level of access your customers get to their data. From minimal access, where they can only check their repair status to being able to profile themselves, add equipment to the database.
Every field service technician is familiar with maintenance equipment checklists. Let’s see why.
Every equipment under your care has a different maintenance plan. Not just schedule. Let’s take a battery, for instance.
An industrial battery requires preventative maintenance at periodic intervals. If in heavy use, then as frequently as every month. Preventive maintenance (PM) is done to ensure one does not need to come back for ad hoc maintenance/ repair for damaged batteries- basically the same principle behind PM that is followed for all equipment.
Now, every equipment that needs maintenance requires a checklist for preventive maintenance for the technicians to follow. Be it an automobile or a fuel pump or a battery. This is common sense as well as common practice. These maintenance equipment checklists can run to 5/ 6 items for simpler items like a battery vs hundred or more for an automobile.
As an example, take a look at the maintenance equipment checklist published by Alpine Power Systems.
Till recently the technicians went around with printed maintenance equipment checklists and noted their finding there.
The problem with maintenance equipment checklist so far
Committing your checklist for preventive maintenance to a paper based strategy has obviously 2 problems.
Paper is tough to track, and audit. End of the day, someone needs to (or should) sit down with the sheaf of papers documenting all the PM activities that have happened that day and check if the right procedure was followed. Were the right observations made, corrective actions taken and customer feedback monitored?
In comes software. Mobile and web based. For capturing records for every maintenance activity performed. And being able to draw appropriate lessons from the past activities. So, obviously, maintenance equipment checklist should be the first to be computerized.
2. And, keeping history, maintaining records and learning from experience is near impossible unless you have a process for transcribing (error free) all the filled up maintenance equipment checklists. Regularly. And, have a software for analysing the historical records for trends to be wary about.
Challenge with computerizing maintenance equipment checklist
Then comes the challenge: do you have to have different software for maintaining, say a laptop than for maintaining a washing machine? Or for a diesel generator set? Because the preventive maintenance checklist to be used for capturing the details regarding each type of equipment is very different, as you can understand.
Or, should you custom develop- with the help of your software vendor, a checklist for preventive maintenance for the equipment that you maintain? And, look for him again when the firm needs even a minor tweak?
Not easy huh?
That’s where Saleswah CRM comes in.
Checklist for preventive maintenance: Mobile app driven totally customizable
We provide you the ability to custom design, not one, but scores of product category maintenance equipment checklist – one for each type of products you have under maintenance. Not just that; you can create custom forms for visits – as well. These checklist for preventive maintenance are available instantly to all users once designed by the admin.
But, hold on. When you have scores of forms with you on your mobile app, that’s just the same as carrying around multiple paper forms for different product types, right? Ah, no. Saleswah CRM is smarter than that. When you are attending to a an equipment under maintenance, the software will show ONLY the relevant form to you. Without your intervention. In fact, you can’t pull up a wrong form even if you tried.
All this works- without a single line of code, any need for “implementation consultants” getting involved and any spend on time and money.
If you would like to have a demo of how to create maintenance equipment checklists – contact us for a demo.
Saleswah CRM announces the most comprehensive field service management product
Why does a comprehensive service management product need to ride on a sales management platform? To illustrate, let me tell you a story.
Two insurance companies (A and B) went to war over customer mindshare. To beat the rather staid promise of A to take care of your lifelong needs, the company B came up with the lot more colourful “cradle to grave” promise.
That worked well, so well, that the company A’s ad agency was driven to desperation to come up with a suitable reply. At long last, they did! Their new slogan, was: “From inception to resurrection”!!!
Okay, so I made it up- or relayed an old joke. But, there are many reasons, why “inception to resurrection” might just be the better description of what the actual customer lifecycle is.
When the product is just a need, nebulous in the customer’s mind, it is at the inception stage. We work with the customer to give it shape, focus him on the solution we are offering and then sale happens! In an enterprise, you get a PO which you send to your order processing who make the shipment.
So far, as you can tell, this is the phase Saleswah helped you manage.
In enterprise sales, won business- does not necessarily lead to another one immediately. So, you may have installed bases which appear active but there may be others which are not.
They might wake up months or even years later, or they might not.
Worse, your sales and aftersales may not talk. So, service may not know all the commitments that sales made to get the business. On the other hand, sales may allow competition to come in during the long hibernation period.
Sales operations and service management on the same platform
For true CRM, the whole organization needs to be involved in managing the customer expectations and relationship. CRM is not just a sales management tool, it is a tool for managing customer relationship as related to the product and service that you are selling.
Sales helps get you in; but service keep you there.
Transitioning from sales to service CRM
Comprehensive service management: from where sales ends
We did toy with the thought of having a standalone service management product. To be honest, you can use the Saleswah CRM only for Sales or even only as a service CRM. But, the real power of the software comes through in managing your entire sales to support continuum.
Because, you see, many customer relations could do with a rebirth. And, rather than cradle to grave- which implies a closure, resurrection is what you aim for. Having your sales and service in the same platform helps you do that.
The most go-to method of asking for service for your home appliances, office equipment, or even machinery is to pick up the phone and speak to the company call center. Unfortunately, this does not work most of the time.
