ABSTRACT

Background.

The aftermarket can be described as the activities taking place after the purchase of the product. In

today's business environment more attention is placed on the aftermarket area due to the increased

competition between companies and the fact that the aftermarket has proved to be a key differentiator

for companies. Nowadays it has also been crucial to satisfy the customers need of having a

competitive aftermarket offer. Despite the advantages for companies having such an attractive offer

together with good customer relations there is still missing research describing how companies should

act in order to create and develop aftermarket business in practice. This study can be seen as an

attempt to bring knowledge and clarity to which areas to prioritize in the design of an aftermarket that

meets customer needs.

Objectives.

The purpose of this study is to find out which factors, with regard to customer satisfaction,

that are important for companies to pay attention and manage when they organize complex aftermarket activities.

Methods.

The study is based on a quantitative approach, given the complexity of the subject and the purpose of

the study. As a tool, a questionnaire survey was sent out to 35 customers, which resulted in 30

responses and a response rate of 85.7%. The respondents are existing customers at Saab Kockums in

Sweden. The collected data was applied and analysed by Partial least squares method (PLS).

Results.

The results of the study show the strength of the relationship between the latent variables; company

image, customer expectations, perceived quality and perceived value that imply customer satisfaction

and customer loyalty. The results differed from previous studies, which indicates that the aftermarket,

unlike a normal market, can be seen as complex.

Conclusions.

The study concludes that the relationship between factors that affect customer satisfaction in a

aftermarket differs from previous studies with the explanation that the aftermarket is complex in its

nature. Furthermore, it is concluded that customer satisfaction is also affected by the nature of the

defence industry that is characterized by long-term, complex and costly projects with high demands on

technology development and that supplies are compatible with previous purchases. The study's results

also lead to the identification of development areas that provide practical guidance to companies in the

area. The result is relevant when designing a general aftermarket strategy as well as aftermarket

strategies with a focus on customer satisfaction.

Keywords: Customer satisfaction, Aftermarket, Complex products, Defence industry