ELECTRONICS MARKET, PANASERVE'S PANASONIC & AFTER-SALES FRENZY

By Princewill Ekwujuru
In recent times, the home appliances and electronic market in Nigeria has been polarised. While new and emerging products from this market segment keep arriving, the established brands are busy formulating marketing and sales strategies that would make them stay ahead.

As this marketing strategy trends on, little or no attention is paid to the issue of After-Sales -Service, which has become a huge challenge to both marketers and consumers.

Since there are many simple things businesses do to improve the service they provide, the starting point is to deliver what it promises and to make sure it keeps satisfied customers. And if the company does more, it will impress its customers and they will recommend the company to others.

Meanwhile, in trying to solve this problem, Panaserv Nigeria through Panasonic brand has cultivated the culture of training and re-training of its technical staffers that would provide excellent after-sales-service or fix any problem arising from power fluctuation as is in Nigeria.

Recently, experts from Malaysia stormed Nigeria courtesy of Panasonic and took its technical personnel across its service centres, putting them through on challenges associated with Panasonic air-conditioners.

Right on hand to tutor the technicians was Mr. Abdul Rahman, from Panasonic Air-Conditioner Factory in Malaysia, who took the service personnel through an array of diagnostic tools, installation and trouble shooting skills. The service personnel were also grilled in manufacturing processes of Panasonic, based on the concept of Green Innovation; a manufacturing philosophy that seek to place Panasonic as the number one manufacturer of earth friendly home appliances by the year 2018.

To this end, the Nigerian market has benefited from this project. Both in the air-conditioners and television segments of the market particularly for Panasonic brand users.

Moreso, by this training, the companies said they are indirectly investing in Nigerians and increasing Nigeria's invisible trade drive .

In as much customer service is all about expectation. A business that offers After-Sales -Service or personal service is setting up an expectation. If that company fails in its promise, its customers will be disappointed.

Thus, for companies to thrive, it must ensures its staff are delivering the level of customer service expected. In this regard, the company leads by example and show its staff exactly how it wants them to deal with customers, by encouraging customer (s) to come with feedback and suggestions, all these, the Panaserve and Panasonic partnership have inculcated in their technical staff.

Speaking earlier on the benefit of this project, Chandru Pahilwani, Manager, Panasonic Ikeja Service Centre had in the first training organized on how to handle 3D related problems, chassis structure with different part from current model, picture problem, and power circuit and power LED blinking time table, said, 'some engineers who do not know the technical ways of repairing the new television sets, therefore, to forestall any unforeseen circumstances, we bring our engineers from Malaysia and Japan to come here and train them to ensure that customers are optimally satisfied.'