After-sales service technician

An After-Sales Service Technician is responsible for providing technical support and service to customers who have purchased products, ensuring they function correctly and meet the clients’ needs. This role involves diagnosing and repairing issues, performing maintenance, and offering technical advice and support to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty. After-sales service technicians often work in industries such as electronics, automotive, industrial equipment, and consumer goods.

Here are some typical duties of after-sales service technicians:

• Diagnostics: Identify and diagnose issues with products that customers report, using technical knowledge and diagnostic tools.
• Repairs: Perform repairs and maintenance on products, either on-site or at a service center.
• Technical Support: Provide technical assistance and troubleshooting to customers over the phone, via email, or in person.
• Customer Training: Educate customers on proper product usage, maintenance, and troubleshooting techniques.
• Documentation: Maintain detailed records of service requests, diagnostic findings, repairs performed, and customer interactions.
• Warranty Processing: Handle warranty claims and ensure repairs or replacements are conducted in accordance with warranty terms.
• Product Testing: Test products after repairs to ensure they meet operational standards and customer satisfaction.
• Feedback Reporting: Report recurring issues and customer feedback to the engineering or product development teams to aid in product improvement.
• Parts Management: Manage inventory of spare parts and tools needed for repairs and maintenance.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure all service activities meet company standards and comply with safety regulations.

The following job titles also refer to after-sales service technician:

customer service technician
workshop technician
after-sales maintenance technician
field technician
after-sales support technician
field support technician
after-sales team member
help-desk technician
after-sales rectification technician
sales support technician
after-sales repair technician
after-sales installation technician

After-Sales Service Technicians typically work in a combination of environments, including customer sites, service centers, and sometimes remote locations. The job often requires travel to various customer locations to perform on-site repairs or maintenance. Working hours can be standard but may include evenings and weekends to meet customer needs. The role is physically demanding, requiring technicians to handle and maneuver equipment, use tools, and sometimes work in challenging conditions such as tight spaces or outdoor environments. Safety protocols must be strictly followed to prevent accidents and injuries, especially when dealing with electrical components or heavy machinery.

To become an After-Sales Service Technician, the following educational background and experience are typically required:

1. Education: A high school diploma or equivalent is required. Additional technical education, such as an associate degree or technical certificate in electronics, mechanics, or a related field, is often preferred.
2. Technical Training: On-the-job training is common, with employers providing specific knowledge about their products and repair procedures. Understanding technical manuals and diagrams is crucial.
3. Experience: Previous experience in a technical support or maintenance role is beneficial. Hands-on experience with diagnostics and repairs in relevant industries can be advantageous.
4. Certifications: Industry-specific certifications, such as A+ Certification for computer repair or ASE Certification for automotive technicians, can enhance job prospects and demonstrate expertise.
5. Skills: Strong problem-solving skills, technical aptitude, attention to detail, and excellent customer service abilities are essential. Proficiency with diagnostic tools and software, as well as a solid understanding of product mechanics and electronics, is also important.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

After-sales service technician is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to after-sales service technician.

technical sales representative in electronic and telecommunications equipment
technical sales representative in agricultural machinery and equipment
technical sales representative in chemical products
technical sales representative in hardware, plumbing and heating equipment
technical sales representative in mining and construction machinery

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of after-sales service technician.

• Characteristics of products: The tangible characteristics of a product, such as its materials, properties and functions, as well as its different applications, features, use, and support requirements.
• Customer service: Processes and principles related to the customer, client, service user and to personal services; these may include procedures to evaluate customer’s or service user’s satisfaction.
• Maintenance and repair: The preservation and restoration of products and systems, and the methods and logistics of these practices.
• Product comprehension: The offered products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
• Customer relationship management: The customer-oriented management approach and basic principles of successful customer relations that focus on interactions with customers such as technical support, customer services, after-sales support and direct communication with the customer.
• Characteristics of services: The characteristics of a service that might include having acquired information about its application, function, features, use and support requirements.

These skills are necessary for the role of after-sales service technician.

• Guarantee customer satisfaction: Handle customer expectations in a professional manner, anticipating and addressing their needs and desires. Provide flexible customer service to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Create solutions to problems: Solve problems that arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
• Communicate with customers: Respond to and communicate with customers in the most efficient and appropriate manner to enable them to access the desired products or services, or any other help they may require.
• Ensure compliance with legal requirements: Guarantee compliance with established and applicable standards and legal requirements such as specifications, policies, standards or law for the goal that organisations aspire to achieve in their efforts.
• Implement customer follow-up: Implement strategies that ensures post-sale follow up of customer satisfaction or loyalty regarding one’s product or service.
• Contact customers: Contact customers by telephone in order to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
• Execute after sales activities: Provide after sales services and advice, e.g. provision of advice on after sale maintenance, provision of after sale maintenance, etc.
• Implement sales strategies: Carry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company’s brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.
• Advise on merchandise features: Provide counsel on the buying of merchandise such as goods, vehicles or other objects, as well as providing information on their features and attributes to clients or customers.
• Provide customer follow-up services: Register, follow up, solve and respond to customer requests, complaints and after-sales services.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of after-sales service technician. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Sales activities: The supply of goods, sale of goods, and the related financial aspects. The supply of goods entails the selection of goods, import, and transfer. The financial aspect includes the processing of purchasing and sales invoices, payments, etc. The sale of goods implies the proper presentation and positioning of the goods in the shop in terms of accessibility, promotion, and light exposure.
• Electronic and telecommunication equipment: The offered electronic and telecommunication equipment and products, their functionalities, properties and legal and regulatory requirements.
• Consumer protection: The current legislation applicable in relation to the rights of consumers in the marketplace.
• Sales strategies: The principles concerning customer behaviour and target markets with the aim of promotion and sales of a product or a service.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of after-sales service technician. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
• Provide information: Ensure quality and correctness of provided information, depending on the type of audience and context.
• Keep records of customer interaction: Record details of inquiries, comments and complaints received from customers, as well as actions to be taken.
• Listen actively: Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.
• Prioritise tasks: Organise tasks according to their priority.
• Address problems critically: Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various abstract, rational concepts, such as issues, opinions, and approaches related to a specific problematic situation in order to formulate solutions and alternative methods of tackling the situation.
• Apply technical communication skills: Explain technical details clearly and concisely to non-technical customers, stakeholders, or any other interested parties.
• Monitor after sales records: Keep an eye on the after sales feedback and monitor customer satisfaction or complaints; record after sales calls for thorough data analysis.

2433 – Technical and medical sales professionals (excluding ICT)

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References

1. After-sales service technician – ESCO
2. Featured image: Photo by Artem Podrez