A framework for the configuration of after-sales service processes

Abstract

In the competitive world of industrial goods, where products are getting commoditised and profit margins are cut down, the search for new business opportunities also encompasses the provision of a portfolio of service activities. The observed trend is that companies need to package their core products with additional services in order to make them more attractive to final customers. In this context, after-sales (AS) service has become increasingly important as a source of differentiation and market share for manufacturers and resellers, as well as a strategic driver for customer retention. This leads to a detailed revision of the logistical and organisational configuration of the whole service chain entailing the design of appropriate processes and a general and shared definition of their structure. The aim of this article is to propose a framework which provides a common representation of the AS processes and activities according to a configuration model that links different typologies of assistance with product characteristics for service operations. Three case studies have been considered in order to ascertain the validity of the framework in the industrial context.

Keywords:

• service operations
• after-sales service
• framework
• performance metrics

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the discussants attending the International IFIP TC 5, WG 5.7 Conference on Advances in Production Management Systems (APMS 2007) for their helpful and interesting suggestions. We are also grateful to the two anonymous reviewers for the highly constructive and useful comments that have contributed to enhance the structure and content of this article.