The Mobile Phone industry these days is no longer about selling a phone to a customer and forgetting about it. It’s also about a longer term relationship with the customer and making sure they don’t face issues with their devices. This helps in improving customer loyalty to the brand and ensuring that they go back to the same brand when they look at replacing their older devices for newer ones in the future.
This is especially visible in the after sales service of some of the notable brands. I remember earlier when I had to get some problem rectified on the phone, I had to head out to the service center, wait for a long while before the phone was taken in for service and there was no transparency on what was going on, and what it would cost to repair the device till it came back to me. Times are changing and so is after sales.
Recently Nokia India invited us to take a look at their revamped Nokia Care Centers and processes to show us how they’ve made a difference in their after sales support. They’ve revamped their entire process to improve the whole customer experience faster, easier and transparent to their customers. Let’s see how they’ve managed to bring about this change.
Nokia Care Center
Our visit to the Nokia Care started off with the initial entry to the Nokia Care center in Indiranagar in Bangalore. As soon as I entered, a person at the entry asked me the type of phone I wanted to get serviced and punched in the details into a LCD Kiosk which gave a token, and asked to wait in the air-conditioned waiting area.
While the customer is waiting, the Nokia Care center does have a selection of Accessories and informational material for them to take a look to spend time. Customers can also take a look at some of Nokia’s other handsets, via their product placement in the customer area.
Nokia Care’s USP here is that once the token is issued, the person should not be made to wait for more than 10 minutes before they are taken through the remainder of the process.
The desk staff are pretty knowledgeable about the phones and ask the customer about the problem they are facing with their device. Most queries about apps, how to install, phone settings and updates as taken care of at this stage itself.
For minor repairs to the phone, they had their technical personnel right on their premises in a static-free area to perform these tasks. Major repairs on the phone requires a more sophisticated equipment, and the phones would have to be shipped to their repair center for further work. In case the phone does require to be opened up for repair, the Nokia Care folks lets the customer know the approximate time taken and the cost.
Once the device is back from repairs, they’ve got a Collection Counter for the customer to check with to pick up their devices. In some cases where the customer cannot make it back to the center to pick up their phone, the Nokia Care folks also do arrange a drop off service where they deliver the handset to the customer’s doorstep.
SLA and Customer Feedback
One thing about this entire process that most consumers like us are not aware of is that the SLA for this entire process is monitored. If any of the SLA slip, they are taken up by the Nokia Care folks to see what caused the slippage and improve their process.
After the customer gets their device back from service, they are requested to fill up a questionnaire about the process, which is the first level of customer feedback. They can also leave their feedback on a Post-it note which goes up on their Smiley Wall!
They also later receive a call from the Nokia Care center enquiring about the quality of service. This helps to gauge the level of service based on their customer’s feedback. If they do get a negative feedback, they reach out to the customer to resolve any problem they have with the service.
Care on Wheel
What is amazing that Nokia’s after sales support even goes down the the smaller towns through their Care on Wheel. The Care on Wheel van goes down to the smaller town and helps customers solve their phone problems. Even basic repairs are possible in the Care on Wheel, and more advanced repairs would entail the phone to be collected, sent for repair and brought back to the customer at their location.
In case you do want to head out to the Nokia Care center, click here to find the nearest one. If you prefer the SMS method:
Type NCC<space>CITY NAME & send it to 55555
Don’t forget to ask for their Extended Warranty service if your device is still under warranty, when you visit a Nokia Care Center