Digital Aftersales Services as a Sales Driver
How machine and plant manufacturers digitalize and market their service operations
The machine manufacturing sector is experiencing growing demand for digital services. But many companies fear that the cost of digitalizing their service operations will be too high. However, adopting the right strategy will enable you to make this change in your approach to service efficient and profitable.
The digital service you offer with your machines makes all the difference
Attract loyal customers and stand apart from your competitors - achieving these objectives represents an immense challenge for companies, regardless of the sector. It's therefore more important than ever to offer customers a first-class experience - right from the initial contact through and beyond the purchase of machines and components.
In particular, your aftersales service offers untapped potential for delighting your customers and laying the foundations for a long and fruitful relationship. But the service expectations of B2B customers are increasing at a frightening rate. Telephone consultancy and a spare parts catalog in PDF format no longer fit the bill. Available 24/7, convenient, and above all digital need to be at the heart of your service offering.
This presents machine and plant manufacturers with the difficult problem of transforming and monetizing their service operations. But it's worth the effort - and careful planning will enable you to spend the time and money in an effective way.
But how can digital services help companies make money? How do you set the appropriate pricing level for your digital service offering and what makes its marketing succeed? Our knowledge resources have the answers.
Develop your services: Avoid the following rookie errors
Nine out of ten German companies are already well into their digitalization program. But the transformation is not without its problems: 48 percent of companies report difficulties in developing digital products and services.
To make the start of the digitalization of your aftersales services that much easier, we've listed the biggest pitfalls in our blog so that you don't make the same mistakes.
Market your services: Follow these strategies to make digital aftersales services a hit with your customers
Apart from the development of a digital service strategy, the appropriate marketing of your services will be a decisive factor in the success of your company. Questions such as these will play an important role:
- How do you communicate the added value that digital services offer to your customers?
- Which marketing channels are the most effective?
- How do you promote acceptance of your new services—both externally as well as in-house?
Our white paper reveals specific strategies for the marketing of your digital services and helps increase the demand for them. Find out how successful machine manufacturers position their services in practice and what prerequisites need to be in place for the marketing to succeed.
Monetize your services: How can we make aftersales services profitable?
Whether through a spare parts shop or a customized service offering, machine manufacturers must find ways of translating their investment into sales and profit as soon as possible. The price of digital aftersales services will be a key factor in your success: Too high a price will scare customers away; too low a price will put your profitability at risk.
The spare parts business is often a source of untapped sales potential. The correct pricing strategy for spare parts can therefore significantly enhance the profitability of your digital services. Our blog includes top tips for spare parts pricing.
Further develop your services: Service portals as a springboard for success
Digital service portals play a crucial role in the transformation of the aftersales strategy. They provide a central platform that brings together all the processes involved in the sale of spare parts and your aftersales services.
They will enable you to
- Strengthen your customer relationships
- Automate your processes
- Open up new sales opportunities
Service portals are therefore indispensable for machine manufacturers who wish to make their entire enterprise fit for the future and win the long-term loyalty of their customers.
Links
We can provide you with the know-how you need to develop your own service portal and make it the heart of your digital aftersales strategy:
- Facts: Ten questions and answers about aftersales portals
- Deep dive: What are service portals and what is their impact?
- Infographic: Create your own customer portal in seven steps
