Bad After-Sales Service Turns Off Customers

The decision by Linksys (Singapore) to cease operation of their telephony support is still disappointing to me until today. Having been a customer for years, the telephony support is one of my most-used avenue to ask for assistance to my router or wireless adapter. I have since dropped any further purchases of Linksys products, and even though I have switched to Asus, the latter possess the same lack too.

What Linksys provides now, is online technical support. You can actually have a pretty cool conversation in their Live Chat facility when all is well. Then again, who will actually contact technical support when nothing’s wrong? Sure, there’s a line in US which you can dial but if you’re in Asia, would you?



Think router and wireless adapter, connectivity immediately comes to mind. At a time when either one is preventing you from getting online, you start to wonder how on earth can you even get online to use that cool Live Chat facility. Least of all, the FAQ and wiki. For the average customers, at least you wouldn’t know what’s the problem until you furnish the error codes and be guided from there. With other tech companies, this is pretty much a standard procedure to go through. Is that what Linksys had in mind when pulling their telephony support?

Strangely, as the world gets more competitive and emphasized a great deal on communications with customers, we seemed to fail at that miserably. Instead of finding solutions to see how best customers can be served, we decide to corner customers for the benefit of our convenience or cost-cutting measures. Especially at a time where online interaction is exploding, keeping connected is probably one of the most important aspects. Ask Apple about their experience of failing to meet up with advertised capabilities, I am sure they have plenty to share.

After-sales service also plays a significant role in retaining customers. Given that customers have a wide variety of choices nowadays, switching your brand off the purchase radar is not a difficult thing to do at all.

Be everywhere, do everything and never fail to astonish the customer.
- Macy’s motto

Adapted from More Loyal Customers by Kevin Stirtz

Internet is a great tool, but all of us shouldn’t forget about providing alternatives to customers. It is also providing ourselves with an extra edge in sweeping our customers’ off their feet. Which customer doesn’t enjoy excellent customer service, pre-sales & post-sales?

Have Linksys provided the solution? No, I found mine. My solution is as easy as taking a 5-minute walk to the mall and getting myself a new product from another manufacturer. It doesn’t hurt me a single bit even though I knew I was overcharged for the item, typical in small independent IT shops compared to the price-war in popular places like Sim Lim Square or Funan IT Mall.

Bad resolution, for Linksys at least.

By Ed | August 26, 2008

Filed Under Customer Service

 


Comments

One Response to “Bad After-Sales Service Turns Off Customers”

  1. comparison shopping links on September 13th, 2008 1:12 pm

    woot’s having a good deal today on a decent Linksys wireless adapter for notebook. check it out.

    [Reply]

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