After Sales Service Guide

How to get the best from your equipment

Here are a few points to really think about when placing your supplier’s service under a microscope....

its no secret that, when it comes to purchasing fitness equipment, there is much more to consider than just the equipment alone. Equally important is the level of after sales support provided by your chosen supplier. Irrespective of the price of warranty you are promised, both you and your memers lose out when the actual level of support fails to live up to expectations. This is a more common scenario than most suppliers will admit and the blame often lands upon the person who made the original purchasing decision.

1. HOW EXPERIENCED ARE YOUR SUPPLIER’S
TECHNICIANS?
You probably would not let a teacher repair your car would you? They may be pleasant, intelligent and make all the right noises but unless they have been doing it professionally for a good period of time, the chances are that a fair mechanic would do a better job. Experience can mean the difference between having your equipment down for four hours or four days; making one service call or six; between repair costs of $200.00 or $2000.00.

Some suppliers rely upon local contractors to do their service work. When a “third party” gets involved, the customer generally suffers most. The person who actually attends your facility may know very little about your products or your business. They are not part of a team who have had years of product-specific training and experience and regularly draw on their collective knowledge to overcome difficult problems. They are just paid labour.

2. HOW MANY TECHNICIANS DOES YOU SUPPLIER EMPLOY?
After considering the experience of your supplier’s service technicians, it is essential to consider how many of them there are. Your supplier may only employ one person. Regardless of how good this person is supposed to be, they can only be in one place at one time. If they are busy doing other jobs, you may have to wait two days before they can attend to your urgent problem, although the supplier will always promise better service at the point of sale.

Like everybody else, they will need to take sick leave occasionally or be away on holiday, possibly for weeks at a time. They may even get a better job in a different industry! Again the customer suffers most, regardless of the supplier’s promises at the time of selling you the equipment. If your equipment supplier only has one local technician, be prepared for inconvenience.

3. HOW OFTEN DO CHANGES OCCUR WITH YOUR SUPPLIER?
Gaining experience about specific products in specific locations is invaluable to a service department. Building a good relationship and high level of trust between your service provider and your won organisation is something that occurs over a period of years, not months. These benefits only accrue when the staff remains constant.

If your service provider changes staff quite frequently, it could mean that you often seem to get paid a visit by somebody who is unfamiliar with you and your specific requirements. If your supplier changes the brand of product they represent, continuity of parts and service can suffer badly. So if somebody turns up to service your $15000.00 treadmill and does not seem to have a clue, don’t be too hard on them, as they may just need a year of three, to learn all the ins and outs, (at your expense) - if they’re still around.

4. HOW AVAILABLE IS YOUR SERVICE TECHNICIAN?
How easy is it to ring somebody when you need help urgently? Can you only call between 9 am and 5 pm? You should be able to call a mobile or office number. If the line is busy, you should have a list of additional numbers to call. If the office is unattended, they should have a diversion system to make sure that your call is not missed.

Can you speak directly to someone who can help solve your problem over the telephone and save you the cost of a call-out? It is amazing how many problems can be solved immediately with a little experienced advice at the other end of the telephone.

5. HOW WELL EQUIPPED IS YOUR SUPPLIER TO HANDLE YOUR BUSINESS?
Does your supplier have a fully equipped service department and the infrastructure to handle all of your requirements? Having experienced technicians in a fleet of fully equipped vans gives a supplier the ability to respond quickly and professionally to your requirements ad gives you, the client, confidence in your purchasing decision.

Knowing that the national distributor of your chosen brand of equipment has the spare parts and infrastructure to support your products now and for many years to come is essential. The longest warranty is of little consequence if you are forced to wait weeks for the replacement parts to arrive. It is astounding how much negative customer feedback “OUT OF ORDER” signs in the gym creates.

Does your supplier also have a local office infrastructure to handle any account queries or special terms of payment that are, from time to time required by most people? Can you make one call and talk to someone who can explain the exact details of who when and what was involved in your last five service call-outs? Do the technicians provide copies of service reports, signed off by someone in authority, upon every visit; including details of all products, serial numbers and parts used?

6. WHAT'S YOUR BEST OPTION?
There is only one supplier in New Zealand who can confidently affirm that they meet all of the requirements mentioned here and consistently deliver upon their promises - Advance Fitness! That is why we are the one point of both supply and service to most commercial fitness centres in New Zealand. Please take the time to call anyone from our extensive list of satisfied customers and check out our proven track record.