Describes what is customary in the market for sales and customer support.
Last Published: 8/29/2019

Considered secondary to product and price considerations, after-sales service in Korea is often found lacking by foreign suppliers.  After-sales service and customer support by Korea’s big conglomerates, such as Samsung and LG, are often seen as better than the services offered by global enterprises or international SMEs.  Korean consumers are very demanding in terms of customer support.  After sales service and customer service in general should be managed closely, especially given the competition of third countries in this market.  Servicing is/should be an important component of the ‘sale.’
The best approaches for after-sales service and customer support include:

  • Resident or offshore engineers (Japan or Taiwan) working with local engineers; service contracts should be considered
  • Establishing a regional servicing facility which can effectively service and support equipment sold in Korea
  • Training service and customer service personnel via U.S.-based programs.

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.