Efficiency Tools in Aftersales: How to Save Your Team Time
Skilled workers are in short supply and the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon. So what can companies do to ease the workload on their team? It all comes down to digitalization. Spare parts catalogs and service information systems are the way forward when it comes to boosting efficiency in aftersales & service. Let’s look at the key factors to think about when choosing a solution.
Skilled workers remain in short supply in Germany despite the economic slowdown. In fact, 28 percent of respondents in a survey by the ifo Institute in 2025 reported that they couldn’t find enough skilled labor, while the share of industrial companies affected came in at one in five. This situation is only set to intensify as demographic changes continue.
Companies are also grappling with this shortage in the aftersales segment, which is being exacerbated by the fact that many machine manufacturers have switched to selling their products’ services rather than the products themselves. As a result, the workload is shifting from plant operators to manufacturers. But the problem is that resources in service departments quickly become overstretched when there isn’t enough staff for service, maintenance, and repairs.
Many companies also face a further challenge beyond the skills shortage due to the fact that processes in their service departments aren’t geared toward efficiency and essential information isn’t pooled and kept up to date in a central, readily accessible location.
Where and how do service technicians usually get their information?
In many cases, service technicians struggle to get the information they need to do their job, as demonstrated by the following example:
- Let’s say that a technician is looking for a spare part for a machine. They send a photo of the part to their colleagues in the office via email or WhatsApp. Now the technician needs to wait for an answer before they can continue the job.
- So it’s over to the team in the office, who have to hunt down the right spare part while putting their own work to one side. And they need to be patient, because some of the programs containing service information take ages to load.
- The process becomes especially challenging if there’s no indication as to whether the machine has already been serviced or if the pieces of information required are held in more than one system.
All these steps and roadblocks eat up valuable time, slowing down not only the service department but their customers. Downtime piles up, while customer satisfaction nosedives.
Upping efficiency with the right tools in aftersales & service
Digitalization has the potential to ease employees’ day-to-day workload while accelerating processes. The right tools are waiting to be used in aftersales, including software solutions that simplify spare parts management and provide digital access to service information. The advantages? Processing times shorten, teams run like a well-oiled machine, and service jobs can be planned and carried out efficiently. If you’re looking for the right software, you need to consider the following questions:
- What resources do we need to start using the new tool?
- What do employees in the individual departments need to get the job done, even if they don’t have enough people? Drawing up a list of the minimum requirements can be helpful here.
- What do we need to think about in terms of data security? The software has to meet the highest security standards, especially in critical areas.
- Is the tool a one-trick pony or can it do more? Ideally, management will choose a software solution that links up different areas of the company and paves the way for new business models.
- How easy is the software to use? The more intuitive the solution, the easier it will be to get started—and the more readily employees will accept new programs and apps.
Easy access to information
Service technicians are always on the go. Having information on machines, spare parts, and components at their fingertips is what really helps them get the job done on-site at the customer.
Remote workers need technologies like augmented reality in order to give their customers the best support, no matter the location. Having access to a range of service information plays a big role here as well.
When spare parts catalogs and service information are available digitally, service technicians can use them remotely and round the clock. You can then guarantee that everything stays up and running while system data is always up to date.
Networked information
These days, the information service teams use is spread across the company. And it’s becoming increasingly relevant for more and more departments as well as for customers. Hunting down data and comparing contradictory information wastes valuable time for service technicians and support teams. To prevent this, data sources such as ERP systems, online stores, and spare parts catalogs need to be linked up. With the right software and intelligent data management, you can merge information and ensure it’s always up to date.
Intuitive search functions
Software only makes a service team’s work easier if it takes them straight to the information they need. Ideally users won’t need to wade through pages of instructions in order to search for an item in a digital spare parts catalog, for example. Well-designed user interfaces and intuitive functions take service technicians and customer support teams to the machine or spare parts information they need via the fastest route possible.
Intelligent assistance functions
In the consumer sector, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and chatbots are already helping online shoppers find the right product faster, and sellers are reaping the rewards when they click “Buy”. Modern assistants are also giving service technicians a hand and taking a significant amount of work off their plate.
Save time with interactive spare parts catalogs
An interactive spare parts catalog is the simplest way to make a service team’s work focused and efficient by combining service-focused parts lists with drawings from PDM and CAD systems. Service technicians can thus find the information they need on the spot to quickly resolve their customers’ problems.
How does existing data come into play when using a spare parts catalog?
- Data from various systems is imported via interfaces and structured using data optimizers where needed.
- The know-how stays in the source systems and security is the top priority when data is transferred, ensuring that data can be safely read and edited without being corrupted.
- Does this create a parallel world where double data maintenance is required? Far from it—this is actually the starting point for a “living system” where existing data is optimized based on algorithms and kept continually up to date.
A digital spare parts catalog has significant advantages over some complex tools in other departments, including that it’s an intuitive tool. Most people don’t need a lot of time to learn it and there’s no programming or extensive training involved. Because many companies already have the bulk of the information to hand, the first version is ready to go in no time.
Even a company’s very first spare parts catalog will save service technicians precious time that they would otherwise have spent searching. In other words, the investment pays off right from the start and companies don’t need to worry about rising costs for spare parts catalogs, even if service inquiries increase dramatically.
Full functionality with the digital twin for aftersales & service
Companies that are looking to alleviate the impacts of the skills shortage while also moving ahead with their digital transformation will find multifunctional software to be a worthwhile investment—and Quanos InfoTwin is a perfect example. The modular and standardized cloud solution networks information from technical documentation, spare parts management, and other sources to create a digital twin for aftersales & service.
Quanos InfoTwin is easy to use and boosts productivity by offering a range of efficiency advantages:
- New employees can get up to speed more quickly.
- Data is available anytime and anywhere, but is still protected against unauthorized access.
- The database is always up to date thanks to synchronization with other systems in the company.
- Easy-to-understand functions and clear user interfaces make work easier.
- Search functions and smart assistants save service employees time.
By opting for Quanos InfoTwin, you create a modern working environment for your aftersales & service team that’s ready for whatever the future has in store. You’ll be up and running with this cloud solution in no time, so your employees will benefit from added efficiency from day one—which means they can focus on your customers’ needs again and continue to build your service portfolio.
