Citrus Electronics - Essay Example

As a modern enterprise, Citrus Electronics aims at providing exclusive and innovative design solutions to the consumer as well as meet industry-specific requirements in the UK. To accomplish this, it needs to have the capability of managing the customer order process. The customer order process is increasingly becoming complex whereby orders comprise of parts, make-to-order products, and customized units. For efficiency of the customer ordering process, customers will have to place orders with a customer service representative of the company. The representative has to be keen to categorize the orders into sections of retail customers, or industry sectors. Standard orders normally contain information about the customer and the items, pricing for each item, delivery information and schedules, and billing information (Aamer, 2009).

Product delivery entails getting the products to various customers. This calls for the creation of distribution channels that provide an orderly way of getting the products to various target customers. Delivery and distribution channels provide logistics, and transactional efficiency, and facilitate customer satisfaction after they receive their purchases (Ross, 2004). The creation of a local dealer network is necessary for customers who require personalized services from Citrus Electronics as it saves time and costs for both the company and the customer. Selling directly to customers through an e-commerce website and use of a shipment program can also be used. Developing a specialized sales team that deals directly with customers will establish preferred delivery systems thus enhancing customer satisfaction.

At the end of the sales and purchasing processes, the relationship between the customer and Citrus Electronics is barely over. This is because functions such as repair and maintenance need to be provided by the company for a while longer. As a young company, Citrus Electronics should regard after-sales service as a significant element of enhancing the customer’s trust in the company’s products. As a way of improving after-sales services, company technicians and experts should be available to the customers whenever needed even if it means they have to travel long distances. The company can establish a program that entails training local retailers and repair personnel on how to repair or provide maintenance services to its products. Most cities and towns have shops specializing in repair or retail shops that have repair technicians that customers already know and use their services. Therefore, giving them training about the functioning of the “mental pen” will help customers whenever they need repairs (Johansson, 2006).

After-sales service is an efficient way of determining customer satisfaction with regard to the product they purchased.  According to Jalil, (2011), after-sales service operations primarily require a service engineer, service tools, and spare parts. Management of these requirements entails maintenance service management which requires a system in place that takes charge of the processes. Whenever a customer has a problem with the “mental pen,” and they still have an active warranty, they can call customer care services at the company. This will activate a process that will ensure the mobilization of a verification exercise to check if the cause of the problem lies within the provisions of the terms and conditions of the warranty. After verification, there is the need to determine who the engineer to repair the damage will be and the source of the spare part. All these processes are carried out by the operations management personnel who need to make decisions regarding repair operations, spare part release, and engineer assignments (Jalil, 2011).