Introduction to Customer Service
“There is only
one boss, and whether a person shines shoes for a living or heads up the
biggest corporation in the world, the boss remains the same. It is the
customer! The customer is the person who pays everyone’s salary and who decides
whether a business is going to succeed or fail. In fact, the customer can fire
everybody in the company from the chairman (CEO) on down, and he can do it
simply by spending his money somewhere else.
Literally
everything we do, every concept perceived, every technology developed and
associate employed, is directed with this one objective clearly in mind –
pleasing the customer.”
Sam M. Walton,
CEO Wal-Mart
Credo from Sam
Walton the owner and CEO of Wal-Mart – an international chain of department
stores and the most successful company in retailing in the world.
Customer Service in the 21st Century
Ask any CEO of a
company, president of a bank, manager of an office, minister or staff person
and they will tell you HOW IMPORTANT the customer is to their operations and
success. In meeting after meeting, heads of industry, the service sector,
utilities, and government try to convince the audience how much they believe in
customer service.
“It is our
mission, it is our number one priority, it is our goal, it is why we are in
business, etc...,” often prove to be mere epitaphs. Unfortunately, these same
“customer friendly” executives go back to their offices, de-employ office
staff, fail to initiate a customer service improvement plan and send memos out
saying customer complaints are unjustified and overblown.
The
Three Key Elements
Expand
Your Definition of Service
How you define
service shapes every interaction you have with your customers. Limited
definitions of service based on an exchange of monies for goods or service
misses the overall point of customer service. “Service” should provide the
customer with more than a product or action taken on his/her behalf. It should
provide satisfaction. In essence, the customer should walk away pleased at the
result of the transaction – not just content but actually happy. A happy
customer will continue to be a buying customer and a returning customer.
Who
are Your Customers?
Customers,
buyers and clients want to pay a fair price for quality service or products,
and feel satisfied they have paid for a service/product and received what they have
paid for in return. They also want someone to take care of them. They need
someone to understand their needs and help answer them. They need someone to
hold their hands and walk them through a process. Customer service starts with
the ability to listen to the customer and find out through polite questioning
what he/she needs or wants. Customer service and contact with a client mean
that the customer will be heard and his/her problems will not go unanswered or
ignored. It also means getting to know your client, his/her likes-dislikes,
ideas, background, etc.
The other most
important aspect to do is to listen to what the customer is saying. If people
do not understand what is motivating the customer, they will not be successful
in handling them. Do research on customers, their habits, and what they want
and expect.
Most customer
service is defined by how a company or organization treats “external
customers,” but there is “internal customer service” as well. While this manual
mainly addresses “external customers,” expanding your definition of customer
service to include co-workers will lead toward even greater success. Remember,
the internal customer chain is just like the external, we are all customers
both inside and outside the company or organization. As a Wall Street Journal
article succinctly put it, “Poorly Treated Employees Treat Customers Just as
Poorly.”
Develop
a Customer Friendly Approach
One commonality
among all companies or organizations that provide good service is the
development of a system and attitude promoting customer friendly service. By “customer
friendly” we mean viewing the customer as the most important part of your job.
The cliché, “The customer is always right” is derived from this customer
friendly environment.
Two critical
qualities to the “Customer Friendly Approach”:
• Communications
• Relationships
The two main
tasks of successful customer relations are to communicate and develop
relationships. They don’t take a huge effort, but don’t happen instantaneously
either. Positive dialogue/communication with your customers and developing
ongoing relationships wit h your customers are perhaps the two most important
qualities to strive for in customer service.
What Customer Service Means
As
mentioned earlier, customer service means providing a quality product or
service that satisfies the needs/wants of a customer and keeps them coming
back. Good customer service means much more – it means continued success,
increased profits, higher job satisfaction, improved company or organization
morale, better teamwork, and market expansion of services/products.
Think
about it places where you enjoy doing business – stores, petrol stations,
suppliers, banks, etc. Why, aside from the actual product or service they
provide, do you like doing business with them? You probably find them
courteous, timely, friendly, flexible, interested, and a series of other
exemplary qualities. They not only satisfy your needs and help you in your
endeavors but make you feel positive and satisfied. You come to rely on their
level of service to meet your needs and wants.
On
the other hand, let’s review a business you dislike patronizing maybe even hate
utilizing but in some cases do so out of necessity. Maybe it is the Police when
you need a new driver’s license or maybe it is the local store that carries a
product you need but who offers lousy service when you purchase. In both of
these cases we are willing to hypothesize that the customer experience is
marred by long lines, gruff service, inefficient processing, impolite and
unfriendly clerks or salespeople, lack of flexibility, and no empathy for your
customer plight. In these cases you feel abused, unsatisfied, and taken
advantage of – in essence, your experience is wholly negative.
Unfortunately,
in the cases we outlined above there is no competition for the services/products
offered or you would gladly not consider using either the Ministry of Transport
or the rude department store. This is the advantage of a monopoly on a good or
service because in a competitive marketplace, the unsatisfied customer shops
elsewhere.
Remember,
good customer service results in consumer satisfaction and return customers and
growth in business. Poor customer service, except for monopolistic strongholds,
generally results in consumer dissatisfaction, lack of returning customers and
dwindling business.
Customer Service Qualities
Customer
Service = Accountability + Delivery
Professional Qualities in Customer Service
Professionals
who constantly deal with customers (inside and outside the company) need to
strive for certain qualities to help them answer customer needs.
The
professional qualities of customer service to be emphasized always relate to
what the customer wants. After years of polling and market research, it turns
out customers are constantly internalizing their customer service experience.
What this means is they are grading your customer service during each
transaction but you rarely know it. While there are a multitude of customer
needs, six basics needs stand out:
•
Friendliness – the most basic and associated with courtesy and politeness.
•
Empathy – the customer needs to know that the service provider appreciates
their wants and circumstances.
•
Fairness – the customer wants to feel they receive adequate attention and
reasonable answers.
•
Control – the customer wants to feel his/her wants and input has influence on
the outcome.
•
Information – customers want to know about products and services but in a
pertinent and time-sensitive manner.
It
is also very important for customer service employees to have information about
their product or service. Service providers who answer, “I don’t know” or “It
is not my department” are automatically demeaned and demoted in the mind of the
customer. These employees can end up feeling hostile as well as unequipped.
Customers want information, and they disrespect and distrust the person who is
supposed to have information but does not.
Good
Information is Often Good Service
Employees
need to be empowered to satisfy customers. Employees will give bad service to
customers if they themselves receive bad service and little feedback from their
managers and supervisors. Remember: external customer service starts with
internal customer service.
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