What are Value-added Services (VAS)?
Value-added services (VAS) refer to any additional assistance or feature a business can offer its customers. These services can range from providing extra support, product customization, additional features, or any other service that adds more value to a product or service. VAS promotes distinction between competitors and helps a business to stand out in the marketplace.
Significance of Value-added Services (VAS) in Logistics and E-commerce
Value-added services (VAS) are a vital component of logistics and e-commerce, providing customers with increased convenience and cost savings. Here are the benefits of value-added services.
1. Enhances customer experience: Value-added services (VAS) provide customers with a more personalized and enhanced experience, allowing them to interact with the product or service in a way that is tailored to their requirements or preferences.
2. Improved accessibility: VAS can make products and services more accessible, allowing customers to order, track, and pay for items from the comfort of their homes. It can reduce the need for physical visits to the store or warehouse, increasing customer convenience.
3. Increased reach: VAS can help to extend the reach of a business’s products and services. It includes providing access to remote locations or using online platforms to reach a wider audience.
Prerequisites of Value-added Services (VAS) and How It Works
To understand how value-added services work, we must look at the fulfilling requirements and determine its process.
1. Network infrastructure: For VAS to work, network infrastructure is necessary to enable the delivery of services. It includes physical infrastructure such as cables, switches, routers, and wireless access points, as well as software components such as operating systems and applications.
2. Service platform: A service platform is a technology that provides the core infrastructure upon which value-added services can be built. This platform may include application servers, databases, messaging systems, and other components that enable the delivery of services.
3. Billing system: A billing system is used to collect customer payments for the value-added services they are using. It may be done via credit card, direct debit, or other payment methods.
4. Service delivery platform: A service delivery platform is a software application to deliver value-added services. This platform may include an API (application programming interface) that enables the integration of services with other applications or systems.
Use Cases of Value-added Services (VAS)
A company can optimize their supply chain by VAS. Logistics companies provide additional services other than transport, handling, and warehousing. These tasks include repairs, packing, re-packing, quality control, shipment tracking and others.
