EDEXCEL GCSE BUSINESS · PAPER 2
The sales process
Making operational decisions · Lesson 4 of 4
Last Lesson
Answer from memory before the answers appear.
1. What is quality control?
Checking finished products for faults.
2. What is quality assurance?
Checking quality at every stage to prevent faults.
3. Give one cost of poor quality.
Waste, returns, recalls or damaged reputation.
4. How does quality give competitive advantage?
A reputation for quality makes customers choose the business over rivals.
Learning Objectives
1. Explain the stages of the sales process.
2. Explain product knowledge, speed and efficiency of service, customer engagement and responding to feedback.
3. Explain post-sales service.
4. Explain the importance of good customer service to a business.
The Sales Process
Customer service matters at every stage.
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1 Before the sale Answering questions, giving advice and helping the customer choose. |
2 The sale Taking the order and payment quickly and accurately. |
3 Delivery Getting the product to the customer on time and in perfect condition. |
4 After the sale Help with problems, repairs, returns and follow-up. |
Good Customer Service
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Product knowledge Staff understand the products well enough to answer questions and recommend the right one. |
Speed and efficiency Short queues, quick answers, fast delivery and accurate orders. |
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Customer engagement Friendly, personal contact that makes customers feel valued - in person and online. |
Responding to feedback Listening to reviews and complaints, fixing problems and improving. |
Knowing the Product
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A customer spending hundreds of pounds on a bike wants advice they can trust. A sales assistant who really knows the products helps them choose the right one, so they are happier with it, less likely to return it and more likely to come back. |
Product knowledge helps customers choose - and trust the business. |
Post-sales Service
Post-sales service is the help a business gives customers after they have bought.
▸ Guarantees and warranties. Promises to repair or replace a faulty product for a set time.
▸ Repairs and servicing. Fixing or maintaining products, such as servicing a car or a boiler.
▸ Returns and refunds. Handling returns quickly and fairly.
▸ Follow-up. Checking the customer is happy, and offering help, tips or future offers.
Help After the Sale
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Post-sales service turns a one-off sale into a long-term relationship. A customer whose phone is fixed quickly and politely is far more likely to buy their next phone from the same business. |
Post-sales service: the relationship continues after the sale. |
Why Customer Service Matters
Good service is one of the few advantages rivals cannot easily copy.
▸ Customer satisfaction. Happy customers are more likely to buy again.
▸ Customer loyalty and repeat purchases. It costs far less to keep a customer than to win a new one.
▸ Reputation and reviews. Good reviews online attract new customers; bad ones drive them away.
▸ Competitive advantage. When products and prices are similar, service decides where customers buy.
Case Study
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CASE STUDY Apple: The Genius Bar When Apple opened its first shops in 2001, it included a "Genius Bar" - a counter where customers could get free advice and technical help from trained staff, and book repairs for their devices. It turned the shop into a place customers returned to after buying, not just before. Staff are trained to have deep product knowledge, and customers can book appointments online. By making post-sales service a central part of the shop, Apple built a reputation for looking after its customers that encourages them to stay loyal to the brand. |
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2001 Apple's first shops open with a Genius Bar |
After the sale Where the Genius Bar focuses its help |
Key Terms
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Sales process All the stages of selling, from the first enquiry to after-sales help. |
Customer service How a business looks after its customers before, during and after a sale. |
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Product knowledge Staff understanding of the products they sell. |
Customer engagement How a business interacts with and builds relationships with customers. |
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Post-sales service Help given to customers after they have bought, such as repairs and warranties. |
Customer loyalty When customers keep buying from the same business. |
Your Task: Fix the Service
12 minutes
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An online electronics shop has these reviews: "Nobody could tell me which laptop suited me", "Took three weeks to arrive", "Never replied to my email about a faulty charger", "Five weeks to get a refund". For each review, name the part of customer service that failed, and suggest an improvement. 1. Identify the failure. 2. Suggest an improvement. 3. Explain the benefit to the business. |
A good answer shows: Each review linked to product knowledge, speed of service, responding to feedback or post-sales service, with a practical improvement.
Can I...?
☐ Describe the stages of the sales process.
☐ Explain product knowledge.
☐ Explain speed and efficiency of service.
☐ Explain customer engagement.
☐ Explain responding to customer feedback.
☐ Explain post-sales service.
☐ Explain why good customer service matters.
Summary
✓ The sales process runs from the first enquiry to after the sale.
✓ Good service: product knowledge, speed and efficiency, engagement and responding to feedback.
✓ Post-sales service includes warranties, repairs, returns and follow-up.
✓ Good service builds satisfaction, loyalty, reputation and competitive advantage.
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EXAM FOCUS Explain one benefit to a business of providing good post-sales service. (3 marks) Service answers should always finish with what it means for the business: repeat purchases, loyalty, reviews or competitive advantage. |