Hi all, UGA student here doing a final project on value-chain analysis as it relates to the US heavy construction market. I have a little industry knowledge from co-oping with an OEM last year, but am curious to hear from dealers, operators, and other users about what sorts of after-sales support really differentiates brands in the heavy construction arena. Is it warranty service, good technical resources (i.e. schematics, parts books), parts support and availability, promotions, communications, customer service... etc? I am sure its a combination of many things, but any two cents helps and is welcome.
I would say first and foremost is warranty support, Salesmen think that they sell products, but if I can't get good service at a dealer, I'm not going to buy there. Machines break down at some point and while under warranty the dealer needs to be able to have parts, staff, and time available to get a machine back up and running. A slight compromise would be a comparable sized replacement unit until mine gets repaired. A knowledgeable parts staff that can do more than just look up parts numbers is worth its weight in gold. I get so frustrated calling a dealer parts person who has no idea what I'm talking about. I find that I generally have much better luck calling them with part numbers of what I need after I have looked things up in a manual somewhere. Just because someone can use a computer doesn't mean they are able to find what I need. Also the inverse is true, If they have a great parts guy who knows what I need but can't find it in the system is just about as frustrating.
Dealer support probably starts with warranty coverage that doesn't require the customer to prove the problem wasn't something caused by operations. That is almost always an OEM caused issue. Problems with new machines never count down time so if you have a dealer that will supply a loaner machine while yours is being fixed is a real bonus. People should realize that the dealer networks are the firewall between the manufacturer and the end user. Parts availability and knowledgable service personnel probably are a close second, particularly when dealing with new technologies now days. As far as I know parts books come with all machines now. Service manuals are another story. They were always sold separate unless they were part of the negotiations on buying that new machine. Few if any dealers will supply technical support without someone paying for it and most won't give you the time of day when it comes to schematics or technical information. There are subscriptions available for web based info. Dealer and factory support usually happen by the tiers of manufacturers. Cat, Deere and Komatsu usually provide the best after sale support. Volvo, Kobelco, Case, Link-Belt and so on usually offer lesser support. Third tier manufactures like Doosan, Hyundai, Ligong and so on have little support in any form.
My dad was involved for over 40 years in commercial turf equipment and had the best reputation in the industry. I don't think heavy equipment is any different. You have to have a good relationship with the sales rep/dealer and the sales rep has to know his product and look after his customers. That means looking after warranty, parts support, loaner machines, what ever it takes. My dad always said product knowledge is the most important aspect of sales but also said you can't just deal with the person who's purchasing. He got to know the mechanics that worked on the machines, the operators that used them, gave seminars and special training on machines. He also never bashed the competition and would even tell his loyal customers if it was a better machine than what he was selling. Every manufacturer has had some dud machines. Better for a salesman to be honest than you find out after buying it. That's how you get 75-90% market share and keep customers.
Hi John C., thanks for the info - very helpful. What sorts of dealer support do manufacturers like Cat, Deere and Komatsu provide that puts them on top?
Parts support is usually around 24 hours and not more than 5 working days, field mechanics are in the latest service trucks sized to fit the machines they usually work on, factory training programs of some sort to keep the service personnel up to date on the technologies coming out and some kind of procedures in place to handle warranty and premature failure issues that may come up. There is also usually some kind of Product Support Sales force in place to continually follow up with the customers.