Electronic firms boost after-sales services

CEBU, Philippines - To offset the negative impact of the global economic crisis, electronic companies now intensify its after sales service as consumer preferences now shift from non-essentials to value-for-the-money purchases.

LG Electronics Philippines, Inc. operations supervisor for customer service department Jessie Galvan said that one of their ways to offset the negative impact of the current economic crisis is through strengthening their service centers.

“With the crisis, people are now looking for more value on the products that they buy and so they have become more conscious of the after sales service that they can get from buying a particular item,” said Galvan.

He said that since the crisis broke out, they have started to notice that more and more customers go to service centers to get their units fixed or upgraded instead of buying a new unit, which will cost them more.

“With the current crisis, customers from the middle to lower segment prefer to get repairs instead of actually buying a new unit so they can still save up,” he said.

Recently, LG Electronics Philippines partnered with RC Goldline, one of the major players in Cebu’s telecommunication industry which sells products from mobile phones to electronic gadgets.

“You can expect a boost on the services we provide in our service centers because the after sales service is now an important criterion that consumers consider before buying a unit because they are concerned to get the quality that they deserve based on the price that they paid,” he said.

Galvan said that after years of absence in Cebu, LG Philippines has now seen the need to re-establish itself in the area in line with its aggressive feat to penetrate the Philippine market.

“As other major manufacturers are now slowing down due to the crisis, LG on the other hand is bent on penetrating the market so that we can be in the best position in the competition once the economy gets better,” said Galvan.

Meanwhile, RC Goldline owner Christian Paro-an said that along with the declining consumer spending, their sales for mobile phones and gadgets have been gravely affected.

“The slowdown is getting worse. Instead of buying new units, consumers now get their old ones repaired so looking at this trend we have decided to get support from our manufacturers and become an authorized service center so we can better serve the needs of our clientele,” he said.

Sales-wise Paro-an admitted that mobile phone dealers like them are starting to feel the pinch because margins are getting slimmer.

“Although consumers still have money, they no longer spend as much as before. If they can still retain their old units, they content themselves with repairs than buying a new one or if not, they rather buy basic call and text phones which are cheaper than usual high-end phones they buy,” he added.

Paro-an said that in terms of competition, the field is now too tough as every player is struggling to survive.

 “The telecommunications industry is now under a cutthroat competition because most are facing slim margins. So to stay afloat, we bank on establishing better service because providing better service to consumers gives a boost to sales,” said Paro-an.— Rhia de Pablo