customer service

Customer service is the set of behaviors that a business undertakes during its interaction with its customers. It can also refer to a specific person or desk which is set up to provide general assistance to customers.The notion of customer service as a tool of competitive advantage started to gain ground in the United States in the 1980s, and has become a worldwide phenomenon.In ''Service America!'' (1985), Karl Albrecht and Ron Zemke wrote that we live in a service economy where organizations must perform as well as produce, and physical products are distinguished by the quality of the service that go with them. Management gurus started to talk about the customer driven business, and they argued that the "Customer is King". Jan Carlzon of Scandinavian_AirlinesScandinavian Airlines claimed that he had transformed his business by paying attention to what he called ''Moments of Truth'', where the subjective and fragmentary experience of customers on the phone or speaking to front-line staff led them to form firm judgements – good and bad – about that company (law)company.Tom Peters grew to prominence by proclaiming the message that organizations need to be turned upside down to serve the customer. That is, the familiar organization pyramid should be reversed, with attention and status given to front-line customer contact employees. British Airways improved its image and service through an internal campaign called ''Putting People First'' – aiming to take time to satisfy the customer and seeing service as internal as well as external, with everyone working together to serve the customer. The US department store Nordstrom is often held up as an example of superior service, with staff going to endless trouble to satisfy the needs of customers. It became a goal to not just satisfy the customers but also to delight them by going beyond expectations.Techniques for managing in a customer-focused environment include revisiting strategy, processes, organization, motivation, and incentives, as well as conducting research to find out what the customer actually wants. Other techniques focus on empowering and energizing customer service employees who, despite the rest of the organization being in good shape, can let a company's image down. Currently, most organizations claim to treat customer satisfaction as an important issue. This extends to government departments, hospitals, and care workers as well as businesses. Targets and service standards are commonplace, and customer expectations have increased.Many organizations have attempted to automate some routine interactions with their customers, because face-to-face customer service is the most labor-intensive, expensive, and risky way to do business with consumers. As is often demonstrated in Filmmovies and television shows, one bad employee or one bad consumer can ruin a day for many other employees and consumers. This is why banks encourage customers to use automated teller machineATMs, many gas stations have self-service pumps complete with built-in credit card readers , and many supermarkets have self-checkout stands. Despite all these efforts, it is still argued that many organizations are not good at service and that large organizations in particular are frustrating for the customer to deal with. For example, automation can go awry if not executed correctly, as shown by widespread dissatisfaction with voice mail systems.Certain entire classes of organizations are well known for generally bad customer service, such as Department of Motor VehiclesDMVs.Virgilio Y Paralisan in his ebook "The Six Dimensions of Customer Service" and his blogsite !http://customerservicetools.bl ogspot.com? said that "Customer Service is a concept that is usually presented as a collection or patches of complementing activities done by an individual or a group of individuals.It is seldom presented as a process or a system that an organization manages to seamlessly and effectively deliver solutions (product or service) to customers.The conventional approach is to teach people to respond to customers using the telephone or handle a live person-to-person interaction specially when there is a dissatisfied or complaining customers.All the things that you will do to build your customer service program will most likely be within the realm of the following dimensions: The Customer, The Service Concept, The Service Process, The Tools, The Business Plan and The Team."

Factors which contribute to Customer Service -

Friendly and helpful staff

Staff with ability to listen

Appropriate tone of voice

Approachable staff

Staff displaying appropriate body language

Staff with good product knowledge

How staff greet the customer

Understanding the customers needs

Staff with good soft skills

Wide product range

Good quality products/services provided

Long opening hours

Delivery service (if possible)

Consequences of good Customer Service - Examples of the potential Consequences of good Customer Service are:

Customers satisfied/happy

High sales

Increase in organization's reputation

Retain/attain customers

Retain/attain staff

Increase in voluntary job applications

Good atmosphere

Sense of team work within the organization

High staff morale

Consequences of poor Customer Service - Examples of the potential Consequences of poor Customer Service are:

Low number of customers

Low sales

Decrease in organization's reputation

High levels of complaints

Unhappy staff

Bad atmosphere within the organization

Over stocking

Conflict

Effect on profits

Potential closure

Greeting customers - Greeting customers is an important part of customer service and customer care which can leave a lasting impression on customers. The following table shows positive and negative forms of greeting and dealing with customers:

External links -

fortune.com - Article: How one company instilled a customer service focus They implemented a standard metric to measure customer service regularly, and its tied to promotions. !Category:Marketingcategory:Ser vices? management and marketing

Topknotch Prep & Print ltd
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Super Eagle Supply
Ecommerce retailer of office supplies, furnishings, computer hardware
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World-Class Customer Service Training
Belding Skills Development delivers world-class customer service training, seminars and workshops for retail, call center, corporate and public sectors
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Customer First Call Centers
At Customer First we view our clients as business partners, with the mutual goal of executing customer outreach and relationship management programs that will enhance bottom line profitability and long-term business success.
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Shep Hyken - Customer Service Motivational Speaker
Professional motivational speaker and author Shep Hyken on customer service, internal service and customer loyalty.
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The Customer Focus
Customer service training for companies who want to create a stronger service culture that builds loyal relationships with their customers and a better environment for their employees.
http://www.thecustomerfocus.com

Video Processing
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Enterprise Resource Management Software for Small to Medium Size Enterprises.
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Chicago Tribune
Online edition of daily paper offering breaking news, weather, sports, web specials on current events, and Chicago area guides. Features members' area for subscribers.
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International Customer Service Association
ICSA is dedicated to promoting the development and awareness of the customer service profession through networking, education and research.
http://www.icsa.com/

Business Week
A renowned business publication. Business news, trends and profiles of successful businesspeople.
http://www.businessweek.com/