After-Sale Service: Learn the Art of B2B Customer Retention

For sales teams, a closed deal can feel like a freshly inked finish line. You’ve made the pitch, wooed the prospect, done the dance, answered the tough questions, and now it’s time to celebrate—and move on to the next lead. 

In reality, a purchase is the first stage in a long relationship. And like any good relationship, it requires both intention and attention. If you want your customers to stick around (which you do), you have to find creative ways to show them why they should. 

It doesn’t matter if you sell medical equipment or makeup—happy customers are loyal customers. The secret? After-sales service. 

What is after-sales service?

After-sales service refers to all the ways businesses can continue to nurture the customer journey after someone makes a purchase. Also called after-sales support or post-sale service, after-sales service includes acts of gratitude (like thank you notes and loyalty rewards), technical support, and conflict resolution. 

Not only is after-sales service part of a well-rounded marketing strategy—one that places just as much emphasis on existing customer relationships as it does lead generation—it’s a technique that lays the groundwork for future sales and word-of-mouth referrals.

Why is after-sales service important?

A positive after-sales service experience keeps customers satisfied and can boost customer retention and referrals. 

While many companies choose to dedicate most of their attention to the pre-sales experience—all of the incentives and promises meant to attract customers—after-sales services are some of the best ways to increase customer loyalty while protecting your bottom line. Lead generation is notoriously expensive, costing up to 25 times more than what it costs to nurture your existing buyers. This means that strong customer relationships are one of the most valuable assets of your business and can impact both repeat purchases and new referral business. 

Continuing to show your existing customers love after they’ve made a purchase increases brand loyalty (a cornerstone of word-of-mouth marketing). If you work to retain customers while you attract new ones, your marketing funnel begins to power itself.

Types of after-sales service

• Thank-you notes
• Customer feedback
• Repairs and returns
• Technical support
• User training
• Personalization
• Loyalty programs
• Surprise and delight

Great after-sales service turns new customers into repeat customers, but how exactly does it happen? An after-sales service can be a grand gesture, a helpful piece of advice, or a small, well-considered cherry on top of already excellent customer service. That might mean a special discount on a customer’s birthday or warranty services, repairs, and various trainings meant to help customers get the most out of their purchase. 

Here are a few types of after-sales services to consider in your after-sales service strategy:

Thank you notes

Want to make your customers feel appreciated? Tell them how much they mean to you! A simple, heartfelt thank you, either by phone, email, or handwritten letter, is a basic after-sales service used to enhance customer satisfaction and generate a positive brand image. Thank you's are easy to automate as part of your post-purchase email flow: Consider adding a general thank you to your order confirmation emails, or go further with a personalized follow-up message a few days or weeks after purchase. 

Customer feedback 

While it requires a little extra effort from your customers, remember to seek feedback early and often to keep your post-sales experience evolving. Many brands offer discounts or incentives for completing surveys or leaving product reviews. You can combine your request for feedback along with your thank you email following a purchase, letting customers know that you appreciate their business, their opinions, and their time. 

Repairs and returns

Sometimes purchases don’t work out. A customer may choose to return an item because it’s defective or simply because they changed their mind. Offering free replacements, repairs, and returns for products that don’t work and having a generous return policy for unused products are opportunities to boost your overall brand image, so even customers who face problems feel tempted to return. 

Technical support 

If technical expertise is one of your primary assets as a brand, high-quality, easily accessible online support is a great way to instill customer trust. Aim for a customer service interface that’s clear and easy to navigate, and make sure customers have various ways to reach out, whether that’s with a chatbot or a direct line to a customer support rep.

User training 

Making sure your customer is well-equipped to make the most out of their purchase is a type of after-sales service with tangible results. Depending on your product, this could include pre-installation services, tutorial videos, troubleshooting, links to FAQs, or one-on-one appointments with a training provider. This means anticipating customer hurdles before they happen, so answers are close at hand when needed.

Personalization 

Take a cue from your email marketers: Personalization results in significantly higher open rates than generic messages for a reason. Customizing the buyer experience in similar ways is a great technique for businesses that rely on repeat purchases. 

Keep track of purchase histories to allow for nuanced cross-selling (promoting complementary items or add-ons, for example). A quick message or small gift or discount on their birthday can also go a long way. 

Loyalty programs 

Loyalty rewardslike member discounts, free gifts at checkout (or for special occasions like birthdays or purchase anniversaries), and special maintenance services are all ways to turn customers into a community—and make repeat purchases all the more likely. You can also institute member benefits like a point system that rewards customers for buying, leaving reviews, or tagging your brand on social media platforms.

Surprise and delight

Sometimes an after-sales service is more about a feeling than a result. The more you can delight customers, the more customers will have a reason to share their experience with others. 

Unboxing is an opportune moment to generate this kind of excitement. Whether or not you invest in packaging that reflects your brand values, a small gesture like stickers, patches, magnets, or an in-house zine can make your customers feel like they’ve joined a movement (and gives them an easy way to sport your logo out in the world). 

After-sales service best practices

• Proactively handle customer complaints
• Respond with empathy
• Automate where possible
• Invest in big gestures

Once you’ve determined which after-sales services make the most sense for your business, keep these guiding principles in mind: 

Proactively handle customer complaints

When things go wrong it can be tempting to write off a customer as a lost cause, but a quick resolution of a problem can still lead to a good customer experience. Mistakes are an invaluable opportunity to showcase the best parts of your business, whether through response time or generosity. 

Respond with empathy

After-sales service is all about making customers feel valued for more than their money, which is why it’s so important to consider the tone of each interaction. Leading with empathy makes people feel heard and increases the chances they’ll have a positive experience—even if they initially reached out about a problem.

Automate where possible 

It’s challenging to apply personalization at scale (and have it come across as genuine), so if you can, build after-sales services into your various purchase or abandoned-cart flows. You can also outsource to a third-party logistics partner to take some of the pressure off. Freeing up your attention allows you to better address customer service pain points or execute surprise-and-delight campaigns.

Invest in big gestures 

If your goal is to create highly shareable customer service experiences, going above and beyond—like responding to a single defective purchase with a replacement, bonus products, and a coupon for the future—helps you stand out in a customer’s mind.