EDEXCEL GCSE BUSINESS · PAPER 2
Exam Practice: The Sales Process
The sales process · Making operational decisions · Lesson 4 of 4 · 14 marks · 20 minutes
Name Date
Answer all questions. Use the context of the business in the question where one is given.
Question 1 DEFINE [1 mark]
Define the term 'post-sales service'.
Question 2 STATE [1 mark]
State one feature of good customer service.
Question 3 EXPLAIN [3 marks]
Explain one benefit to a business of providing good post-sales service.
Question 4 JUSTIFY [9 marks]
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SOURCE HomeGlow Ltd sells kitchen appliances online. Its customer satisfaction scores have fallen, and many reviews complain about slow replies and a lack of help choosing products. It has £60,000 to spend. Option 1: Train its customer service staff in product knowledge and hire two extra staff to answer queries faster. Option 2: Offer a free extended three-year warranty on every appliance. |
Justify which one of these two options HomeGlow Ltd should choose.
Answers
Check your answer only once you have written one.
Question 1 [1 mark]
The help and support a business gives customers after they have bought a product.
▸ Service / support given after the sale 1 mark
Question 2 [1 mark]
Product knowledge.
▸ Any one of: product knowledge; speed / efficiency of service; customer engagement; responding to feedback; post-sales service 1 mark
Question 3 [3 marks]
It increases customer loyalty (1). Customers who get quick, helpful repairs or support feel valued and trust the business (1). This means they are more likely to buy from it again and recommend it, increasing future sales (1).
▸ A benefit identified, e.g. loyalty / repeat purchase / reputation / competitive advantage 1 mark
▸ First linked point of explanation 1 mark
▸ Second linked point of explanation 1 mark
Question 4 [9 marks]
Option 1 tackles the complaints customers are actually making. Better product knowledge would help customers choose the right appliance, and two extra staff would cut reply times. This should improve reviews, which matter greatly for an online business, and increase sales. However, training and wages are ongoing costs, and results may take time to appear. Option 2 is attractive to customers and may encourage them to buy, as it reduces the risk of a costly appliance breaking. But it does not solve the slow replies or lack of advice customers are complaining about, and the warranty could become expensive if many appliances need repair. On balance HomeGlow should choose Option 1, because its reviews show the problem is service before and during the sale, and fixing that directly should improve its satisfaction scores and online reputation. This depends on the extra staff being enough to cut reply times noticeably.
▸ AO2 (Application, 3 marks): uses the context - online sales, slow replies, lack of help choosing, £60,000 Level 1-3
▸ AO3a (Analysis, 3 marks): chains of reasoning about each option Level 1-3
▸ AO3b (Evaluation, 3 marks): a justified choice with a supported judgement Level 1-3