The ongoing state of the market implies that the service structure of an enterprise is just as important as its product offerings. Smooth business operations are the need of the hour for original equipment manufacturers to deliver seamless user experience as they navigate through the changing aftermarket ecosystem.
The manufacturing industry has been seeing drastic changes since the 1990s all over the world. There have been upsides and downsides for manufacturers in terms of growth and sustainability even after that span. However, the massive impact of COVID-19 was an absolute catastrophe for OEMs, developing the need for post-pandemic resurrection.
In addition to these unavoidable geopolitical obstacles, there are many other aspects that somehow become the onset of problems for manufacturers trying to maintain credibility in a competitive landscape. Aftermarket or after-sales operations can be concluded as those aspects that act as a roadblock in the sales cycle and eventually affect the revenue and perpetual growth of OEMs.
In this detailed blog, we will talk about the common challenges faced by manufacturers that can be avoided with strategic implementation of cutting-edge technologies.
Understanding the Operational Challenges from A Manufacturer’s POV
1. Shortage of High-in-Demand Parts/Components
Manufacturing is known to be at the forefront of the Industry 4.0 revolution and the lack of digitization is costing OEMs a great deal of user expectations. Without a feasible system for parts inventory management, the shortage of in-demand parts and accessories is turning out to be one of the biggest challenges in the sector at present.
The absence of sales forecasting is a setback that not only affects the supply chain but also puts the credibility of a business in question.
2. Integration of An Automated Architecture
OEMs are often seen shuffling between inventory management and collaboration with stakeholders which creates a different string of challenges for smooth order fulfillment. Therefore, they need to rely on automation for certain tasks that consume OEMs’ time and costs.
However, the real challenge befalls when manufacturers fail to decide whether they want to choose a suite of software solutions or develop their own platform for it, given that the development of custom software is a costlier and more time-consuming alternative.
3. Warranty Management & Quality Control
The process of warranty management comes with its set of complexities including fraud claims that directly impact the ROI. Moreover, too many warranty requests also compel manufacturers to rethink their quality control process and work on parts defects.
This entire challenge eventually results in operational inefficiency that distinctively affects the OEM-dealer relationship.
4. Lack of Communication & Collaboration
In a conventional setting of interaction between manufacturers and dealers, there is a lot of gap in terms of collaboration. Without centralized communication, OEMs don’t get to learn about the problems dealers face while ordering parts or creating a request for a claim or return.
Moreover, dealers also fail to explore various offerings provided by the manufacturer when there is no streamlined system for collaboration.
How We Help OEMs Overcome These Persistent Aftermarket Challenges
When you look at it from afar, you can see that every aftermarket challenge, directly or indirectly, is associated with the traditional methods you use for offering your products and support to your network of dealers. If you work on these pain points with the help of automation, you can avoid aftermarket challenges you come across during operations.
Let us give you a walkthrough of our aftermarket products that can revolutionize your operations with precision and accuracy:
1. Spare Parts Management Software
It is an illustrated spare parts catalog software that lets dealers look for a wide range of parts and components and place orders instantly. It has comprehensive search functionality that empowers users to search for the exact part of a machine or a vehicle promptly.
It plays a crucial role in enhancing the OEM-dealer relationship. Here’s how:
- Detailed information on parts supersession
- Smart search system for faster ordering
- Part highlighting and hotspotting on 2d diagrams
- Ease of monitoring and tracking the orders for dealers
2. Warranty Claim Management Software
Our smart warranty claim management system brings the entire process on to the right track with claim type identification and transparent approval. From creating requests for claims to supplier recovery, Intelli Warranty addresses every pain point of the cycle.
Here’s what OEMs can experience in terms of enhanced operations after choosing our warranty management software:
- Minimized administration expenses for manufacturers
- Transparent and streamlined warranty process flow
- Complete prevention of warranty claim fraud
- Simplified claim requesting and tracking for dealers
3. AI-Powered Digital Manual
Managing large PDF manuals is one of the operational challenges that OEMs can avoid by choosing our digital manual software. It converts manuals into user-first HTML with AI capabilities that dealers can use to find relevant information more efficiently.
Manufacturers don’t need to spend time editing PDF files and distributing them across the network again. Here’s how our AI-enabled interactive manual helps OEMs upscale user experience:
- Reduced time consumption for dealers and OEMs
- Quick access to the needed info with multiple search options
- An AI search feature that takes users to the exact part of the manual
4. Specialized Technical Helpdesk System
As discussed earlier, manufacturers are required to play a cross-functional role to subdue the competition and resolving technical issues faster is one of those roles. An advanced technical support software like Intelli Desk assists manufacturers in efficiently managing and tracking technical field issues while taking care of escalation cases.
Here’s how an automated technical helpdesk system helps OEMs:
- Transparent collaboration between dealers and back-office teams
- Easy report creation and submission for accurate analysis and resolution
- Post-resolution submission to the knowledge base for future assistance
5. Return Management System
OEMs need a smart warranty parts return management system to fulfill return requests without being grappled with logistics-related problems. Our smart return management software puts together every aspect of the warranty return process and eliminates the possibility of carrier issues and human errors.
Here’s why our warranty parts return management system is one of the most powerful tools for original equipment manufacturers:
- Integration with carrier service providers for easy return
- Quick return request creation with no scope for human errors
- Efficient resource allocation for carrier selection and package labeling
- Bringing everyone involved in the return cycle together on one platform
Other than these platforms, we offer dedicated software to cater to other vital operational requirements such as lead management, whole goods order management, automated delivery inspection, dealer auditing, knowledge base management, and more.
Why Trust Intellinet Systems for Promising Aftermarket Solutions?
At Intellinet Systems, we are here to help you revolutionize aftermarket success with our custom suite of software solutions. From complex sales cycle and warranty management issues to delayed technical resolution, we are familiar with a plethora of problems OEMs have to deal with on a daily basis.
15 glorious years of establishment have allowed us to catch the nerve of the aftermarket domain and orchestrate solutions that align with evolving user expectations.
Our aftermarket software solutions are customized to address prevalent problems such as difficulty in ordering parts accurately, managing warranty cycles, etc. faced by your secondary sales network. The main objective of our tailored software suite is to identify operational bottlenecks and strategically solve problems by automating the process and reducing human errors.
Do you want to bring efficiency and accuracy to your after-sales operations? Get in touch with our team now or book a free demo to get started!
