Abstract:
This research is concerned with the development and implementing
of an integrated management system appropriate for use within the
field service activities of an industrial firm. Field service or
after-sale service management system is viewed as an integrated
process which includes several service producing subsystems. The
purpose of their interacting is to achieve a given level of operational
availability, as well as a relative adjust.:::-oent, throughout
the products life cycle which improve the customer loyalty.
The- growth and profitability of numerous companies tend to be
progressively founded on the development of challenging service
policies which go along with the commercialisation of tangible
products. Even today, little has been written on the question of
after-sales service, with the exception of some technical developments
related to the reliability and maintenance of complex
equipment's.
Consequently, the first objective of this research consists in
proposing a conceptual definition of service-mix associated, before
and after the sales act, with the commercialization of tangible
products. Having identified the management deficiencies
existing in certain companies, both conceptual and technical, an
integrated management system is theoritically developed which
. overcomes theses deficiencies. Such a system is partly based on a
product management approach, applied to the case of after sales.
It is composed of four stages :
1. Formulation of the after sales strategy as being the expression
of the company's prevailing mode of competition
2. Elaboration of the services programming antl information
systems
3. Designing of the organisational structure
4. Identification of performance control tools well adapted to
the after sales activity.
The management model of the after-sales service function is viewed
here as a set of mechanisms that integrate the offer "product
service" furnished by an industrial firm. It is thus a process
which concurs to a more efficient management of lone more or
less conflicting interfaces existing between the different functions
contributing to the design, production, distribution and
support of the functionality required by the market.
