Traditionally, customers have had three specific worries about product service. What are they?
Manufacturers of equipment—small appliances, office machines, tractors, mainframes, airplanes—all must provide product-support services. The three specific worries about product services that customers face are:
a. They worry about reliability and failure frequency. For example, a farmer may tolerate a combine that will break down once a year, but not two or three times a year.
b. They worry about downtime. The longer the downtime, the higher the cost. The customer counts on the seller's service dependability which refers to the seller's ability to fix the machine quickly or at least provide a loaner.
c. They worry about out-of-pocket costs, which refers to the amount they have to spend on regular maintenance and repair costs.