CRM and ticketing: Stop customer service confusion

The good management of the after-sales service is the challenge of any company wishing toincrease customer satisfaction. To achieve this, most companies combine their human resources with tools like CRM or ticketing. Incomplete automation solutions to manage all the complexity of the after-sales service. So, to stop confusing these alternatives with real after-sales solutions, we wanted to list the limits of each tool and redefine the challenges of a real after-sales service thanks to the first complete system on the market: Platana.

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CRM and ticketing, alternative solutions to after-sales service

What is after-sales service?

The after-sales service is an assistance, essentially technical, brought by a company to solve a problem after the purchase of its product. The sources of intervention are numerous: analysis of product data (under warranty, out of warranty), in-home intervention, repair in the workshop, video assistance, telephone exchange, self-diagnosis, etc. While a single tool is sufficient to centralize the management of after-sales service, managing these steps with various solutions makes the management of after-sales service more complex .

Focus on CRM and ticketing solutions

In the digital age, automation solutions such as CRM and ticketing are used to manage some after-sales issues. However, they do not provide any technical support as such.

• The ticketing software records several requests (complaints, problems, incidents, bugs...) and generates a digital ticket to trace each request.
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) collects data on customer and product requests. This data is useful to analyze in order to create a FAQ or to optimize the interactions between the company and the customers.

If these devices can support an after-sales approach, their functions cannot replace human intervention on the product.  

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Limited tools to solve after-sales problems

The main limitation of ticketing and CRM 

If the CRM collects the data and the ticketing registers the complaint, these interaction solutions are technically incapable of deciding alone how to intervene on the root of the problem: the product.
On the other hand, upstream of the problem resolution, the appropriate use of this data (history, warranty, purchase date, etc.) creates the real added value of an after-sales solution. Indeed, the resolution of an after-sales problem starts with the identification and understanding of the problem, before acting on the product.

A loss of revenue for the company

Limited to their respective functions, these automations do not solve all customer service needs. That is, being able to: 

- To have a global vision of the intervention and optimize the time between the capture of the problem and its resolution.

- To continue the digitalization of a company to collect data,

- To revolutionize the after-sales service experience to improve customer satisfaction and therefore brand awareness. A consequence directly linked to the opinions and testimonies left by customers on different media.

-Optimize costs by eliminating unnecessary expenses and managing ROI:

• Qualified claims without creating unnecessary administrative burdens.
• Good follow-up on refinancing with suppliers: each time a claim is taken on, the distributor reimburses the customer and re-invoices the supplier. 
• The automation of the after-sales service process to limit the cost of an in-store advisor or call center intervention, estimated at between €20 and €30 per hour.

An innovative after-sales solution: the all-in-one after-sales platform

Platana: the 1st complete after-sales solution

Faced with this situation, Platana has created an innovative all-in-one solution to manage the entire after-sales service chain. An omnichannel platform that can be combined with CRM and ticketing tools. Thus, each solution manages their domains in an interdependent way to meet the needs of the brands: 

- Data collection to create product knowledge

- Use of the data obtained to generate appropriate solutions: 

• Taking into account the specificities of sales contracts (under warranty, out of warranty...) and product history.
• Data backup for continuous service improvement.

- Creation of a quality customer service 

• Automated after-sales solutions: save time in managing product repairs. 
• Company-specific solutions: the software proposes an action specific to the item's problem, among those eligible for restoration.

Positive impact on the company

Platana revolutionizes the management of the entire after-sales service chain, from after-sales file tracking to repair and spare parts delivery. Indeed, thanks to the analysis and organization of the data collected within a single interface, the platform automates the decisions that will allow to act directly on the product and optimize the results. That is: 

- Product decisions:  

• Knowledge of product characteristics: warranty, history...
• Monitoring and improvement of product quality. Each recurring alert recorded helps to treat the root cause of the malfunction and to intervene in the manufacturing process.

- Decisions regarding the actors of the after-sales service chain:

• Managing refinancing with suppliers to avoid losses.
• Coordination between repair services
• Contact with spare parts suppliers

- Customer journey decisions:

Optimization of the customer path to resolve his after-sales service request: tutorial, video troubleshooting, call center...

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In sum, these automations generate beneficial results on several aspects:

• Reduction of administrative burdens.
• Customer satisfaction.
• The distributor's reputation.
• Cost control.

With an intuitive and intelligent back-office, Platana creates a common point of contact between all stakeholders and provides a global vision of the entire after-sales service chain. 

Thus for the company:

• The parameterization and the piloting of the activity are simplified.
• Decisions are faster and more accurate. 

On the consumer's side, the platform manages his favorite contact channel with the possibility of following his file in complete autonomy and serenity.

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By using CRM and ticketing software, companies are limited to the minimal automation and use of their data. However, customer management and product repair are more complex and require in-depth intervention with a perfect knowledge of the items and their ecosystem. This is why, without replacing CRM or ticketing, Platana offers complete and customized assistance to help customers find the best solution for their needs.

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Interested in an all-in-one after-sales service? Ask your Platana experts for advice.

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