Panasonic focuses on after-sales service amidst coronavirus outbreak

Coronavirus outbreak has dampened the sale of consumer durables that was witnessing a positive sentiment from the consumers this year. The nation-wide lockdown has not just restricted the sales of consumer durables but limited the after-sales service as well, resulting in OEMs to come up with innovative strategies to connect with customers.

Manish Sharma, Executive Officer, Panasonic, President & CEO, Panasonic India & SA says, "In these times, I believe, it is important to further strengthen the consumer trust in the after-sales service. While we always maintained the highest degree of service standards, including the hygiene and protocols for our authorized service center engineers responsible for installation and service of products, we will further strengthen our processes to ensure that consumers continue to trust us now and in the future."

To start with, Panasonic has already taken some initiatives to interact with the customers in the best way it can. Panasonic's contact center continues to remain open, helping customers reach out to the company. If the customer is registered, they can call and easily register their complaint. Panasonic says that the complaint will be forwarded to the branch office. As field service is not operational, they will speak with the customer to help resolve the problem virtually. In case the customer is not registered with Panasonic, the same can be done by registering themselves through the contact center.

"B2C businesses comprising of large appliances such as ACs and refrigerators have already taken an initial hit. Henceforth,  it is time to rethink how best to rebound to come out of the situation," says Sharma. Going a step ahead, Panasonic is calling all registered customers and sharing mobile numbers of the local staff for support, if in case the need arises.

As summers are settling in and air conditioners will soon require servicing, Panasonic has also developed a do-it-yourself video that will help and guide customers on how to clean the machines themselves. "With more and more consumers riding the digital wave, we must look at revisiting our strategies and make it more digital-savvy. For instance, DIY videos for basic maintenance of home-appliances, leveraging modern technologies such as AI/VR for solutions, a robust Omnichannel plan to name a few," adds Sharma.

Panasonic is making itself available to customers in every way including social media platforms where customers can tag the company while sharing the issue they are facing. Panasonic says the company will do its best to help them.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the initial impact was on the supply side. But as the virus spread in India, the impact has moved on to the demand side. It now depends on how fast the situation comes under control. With summers just about starting, the industry is hopeful that the demand will bounce back once things return to normal.

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Also read: Must make our strategies more digital-savvy, says Panasonic's Manish Sharma