What is aftermarket information, and how is it different from other technical docs?

Aftermarket information is the chameleon of technical documentation – it can mean different things depending on the industry you operate in, how your product works, who your end users are, and where they use your products. However, the purpose of aftermarket information is to help users operate, use, maintain, repair, or upgrade a product after an initial purchase, in whatever form it takes. So, how do you identify aftermarket information, how is it different from other forms of technical documentation, and how do you make the most out of it?

In this article, we will delve into what aftermarket information is, how it changes depending on where and when it is used, and why using it well can be a massive bonus for your organisation.

What does aftermarket information mean to you?

As aftermarket information is meant to help your users get the most from your products and services, it needs to do several things in order to be effective:

• Make your products easy to understand so that users can get on with the important business of using them.
• Be reassuring. As a post-purchase document, it needs to reassure the customer that they have made the right decision by showing them how to get the most from your product or explaining how to use it in ways your end user might not have thought of.
• Provide users with information on how to improve or upgrade their experience with your product, either through ancillary products or services related to your original product.

As mentioned earlier, this type of documentation also varies depending on the product you are using, how it is used, and who the end user is. For example, the aftermarket information for a car manufacturer includes documents such as safety and maintenance manuals or parts catalogues. Medical device manufacturers would have E-learning modules or assessment documents. It can also take the form of multi-access information portals, which offer different information to different users, such as articles aimed at software developers and software users. It may also take the form of interactive video lectures that show users how to use complex machinery or automated systems.

So, while the format may change between industries, the point of aftermarket information stays the same – to help your customers have a good experience using your products.

Where does technical writing end and sales begin?

While aftermarket information falls within the wheelhouse of technical writers, this kind of documentation is a fantastic resource for your sales and marketing team. I’ve made the case previously that technical documentation is a great tool for selling your products, and aftermarket information is a prime example of this.

If you were to ask any salesperson, “What is the best time to upsell to your current user base?”, I’m pretty sure most of them would say, “Just when you’ve got them successfully using your products”. Your customers will have solved the issue that they needed your product for, and will still be full of enthusiasm for your products. At this stage, convincing them to invest further in ancillary services or products will be much easier than, say, cold calling them 6 months later, and trying to upsell them when they only vaguely remember using your products to solve a specific problem.

And after-sales is a huge market to capitalise on. According to an article by the Harvard Business Review, in America alone, aftermarket sales are worth approximately $1 trillion a year, showing just how effective aftermarket information can be.

Good aftermarket information helps customers maintain and improve their products, suggests useful services, and recommends solutions to problems they may not have realised they had, thereby boosting upselling opportunities. In this way, good aftermarket information helps improve upselling within your organisation.

Customer Retention & increased product shelf-life

Aftermarket information also helps reduce customer churn and can significantly increase the shelf-life of your products, leading to increased customer loyalty.

We’ve already covered in previous blogs how technical documentation can help reduce customer churn, and after-sales information is a prime example of this. By providing information at a critical point, you can reduce the strain on your support teams and increase customer satisfaction by helping them resolve their issues on their own time. Also, if your user base can successfully maintain and upgrade your products using your documentation, they are more likely to buy spare parts and consumables from you to keep doing so.

Another advantage of good aftermarket information is that it can extend the shelf life of your products by showing your users how to properly care for and maintain them. High-quality aftermarket information will help your users find applications for your products that they wouldn’t have thought of before. And the best aftermarket information will help sell additional services and products to solve problems your users didn’t even know they had.

Having this kind of positive experience fosters long-term relationships between your customers and you, with happy customers making purchases for years after the initial sale. For example, Aircraft manufacturers build aircraft that will be used for decades after the initial purchase, but doing so in a highly regulated environment means stringent maintenance and repair procedures. Companies such as Rolls-Royce, which manufactures aeroplane engines, make a big part of their revenues from offering repair services and replacement parts, which in part is due to their fantastic aftermarket services.

Aftermarket shouldn’t be an afterthought

So, I hope you found my thoughts on aftermarket information useful. It’s a powerful tool for improving your customer experience with your product, increasing revenue from services, upgrades, and spare parts, and strengthening your brand. As technical documentation, it’s often created by technical writers, but it is important to your support, marketing and sales teams, and can really help an organisation generate more revenue and keep your customers happy.

If you would like to talk to us about how we can help create some great aftermarket information for you, or any other kind of technical documentation, why not contact us here? We’d be more than happy to help.