Ask any CEO of a company, president of a bank, manager of an office, minister or staff 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...," 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.
It is a contemporary mantra of service-oriented economies throughout the world that the customer is the key to success. Yet, how many of these same people are just miming what others say or think without ever actually considering what customers want, how to deliver good service, how to develop systems that enhance customer satisfaction and create a service friendly environment. The reality is that customer service around the world, with a few notable exceptions, is either declining or stagnating. Technological developments have dehumanized service while economic pressure and high employee turnover have left customers wondering when they will receive proper service at a fair price and in a timely manner.
Why is customer service in such a "funk" - what is causing this service malaise despite the "lip service" being paid to the significance of the customer in contemporary business, government and public life? If customer service and contact with a customer or client are so important for the success of a company or organization, then why are some companies and organizations failing in this critical department?
Moreover, can a company offer good services/products at low or reasonable prices but still not meet customer demands and suffer financially as a result?
Can a company know the needs and problems of customers without having contact with them and without listening to them?
These three fundamental elements must exist and be cultivated in order for good service to flourish:
1. Expand your idea of service 2. Consider or reconsider who your customers are 3. Develop customer friendly service techniques and systems
If you master these three fundamental elements, your customer service is bound to improve and mature.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
Why Customer Service ?
Every business whether it is sales of products or services, depend heavily on customers. Customer Service assumes significance in that few businesses can continue to grow without a strong base of quality customer service. Customers form the foundation of any business. It would be suicidal to ignore the complaints if any by the customers. Apart from the quality of the products or services sold, the customer feedback by word of mouth, act as an ambassador for the seller/service provider. Applying the same token , after sales services/24-hour services support form the vital cog in the wheel of a successful business house.
Banks are often cited as the testing crucible for customer satisfaction and the standard of services. Here the quality of the customer service can be assessed by a single visit to a bank branch. An impatient junior officer, a service bottle-neck at the counters or imparting of wrong or factually incorrect information -all these contribute to deficiency in customer service, let alone more serious errors. Today Banks, which basically offer the same services and charge the same for common services, are preferred only on the basis of their quality of services. Customer services are given the utmost importance by most successful leading banks. They have instituted special customer response and grievances redressal systems where high-ranking officials monitor the correctness of the responses or the redressal of a particular grievance.
The standards of customer services in banks are today excellent and many business corporates like mobile phone services providers ,internet service providers, utility services and courier agents are practicing excellent standards of customer service.
It was Dale Carneigie, if I remember correctly, who once said that the Customer was Always Right. How true! Give in to the Customer arguments and then when things have cooled down sufficiently, prove your arguments to him. The customer would stay permanently loyal to you.
Customer service is no longer a mere sales jargon or sales pitch. Customers today who are very knowledgeable and demand services, cannot be sidelines or shortchanged any more. The competition is waiting to snatch away your precious bank of customers. If you fail to deliver or fail to redress in time, the loss is yours.
Banks are often cited as the testing crucible for customer satisfaction and the standard of services. Here the quality of the customer service can be assessed by a single visit to a bank branch. An impatient junior officer, a service bottle-neck at the counters or imparting of wrong or factually incorrect information -all these contribute to deficiency in customer service, let alone more serious errors. Today Banks, which basically offer the same services and charge the same for common services, are preferred only on the basis of their quality of services. Customer services are given the utmost importance by most successful leading banks. They have instituted special customer response and grievances redressal systems where high-ranking officials monitor the correctness of the responses or the redressal of a particular grievance.
The standards of customer services in banks are today excellent and many business corporates like mobile phone services providers ,internet service providers, utility services and courier agents are practicing excellent standards of customer service.
It was Dale Carneigie, if I remember correctly, who once said that the Customer was Always Right. How true! Give in to the Customer arguments and then when things have cooled down sufficiently, prove your arguments to him. The customer would stay permanently loyal to you.
Customer service is no longer a mere sales jargon or sales pitch. Customers today who are very knowledgeable and demand services, cannot be sidelines or shortchanged any more. The competition is waiting to snatch away your precious bank of customers. If you fail to deliver or fail to redress in time, the loss is yours.
Working from home in Customer Services
Companies are finding it easier to hire work at home employees to take care of their customer service needs. With the new technology, high speed internet, and the trendy networking capabilities, it is even easier to have your customer service representatives across the world from your company and the customers will never know. This opportunity is available to anyone who has a solid motivation for work from home jobs and who wants to earn a good amount of money.
Customer Service Needs
Those who want to open a business and work from home in the customer service field need to understand that the major benefit to this line of work in really for the business who hires you. In hiring a freelance worker, there is no need for added expenses in monthly leases, office equipment, and utility bills. This leaves more money open for them to pay you on an hourly basis.
By The Hour - Work From Home
The average customer service worker at home is estimated to make an average of $14 an hour. Those who are taking the same calls in a center for a company only bring in an estimated $9 an hour. The difference is the result of savings to the customer when you are in business for yourself at home. If you have needs such as medical problems or want to stay at home with your children, this hourly rate is a good way to do it. The internet is full of companies offering a customer service position and great rates to those who get hired.
What To Expect
The companies looking to hire a work from home customer service representative may require you to have certain experience or training. Most, however, will start you out at the bottom and give you the training you need. They may also ask for a background check as if you were taking on a regular position. The individual company will give you the specifics of what they are looking for and how they expect the job to be done. Some companies may also reimburse you for charges you incur with your phone or other tools and tasks needed to complete the job but this too will vary from company to company.
What You Need To Start Work From Home
It is essential that a home office for customer service contain certain items to make work more productive and efficient. First, you will need a good computer that runs the way it should and the simple knowledge of how to work with it. Second, a high speed internet connection is also a necessity to communicate and place orders and other material for the company. Third, you will need a solid phone line and an unlimited long distance plan so customers can reach you. The most important item the work at home customer service specialist needs is a positive attitude and good people skills to be able to get along with the customers effectively and with high quality service
Customer Service Needs
Those who want to open a business and work from home in the customer service field need to understand that the major benefit to this line of work in really for the business who hires you. In hiring a freelance worker, there is no need for added expenses in monthly leases, office equipment, and utility bills. This leaves more money open for them to pay you on an hourly basis.
By The Hour - Work From Home
The average customer service worker at home is estimated to make an average of $14 an hour. Those who are taking the same calls in a center for a company only bring in an estimated $9 an hour. The difference is the result of savings to the customer when you are in business for yourself at home. If you have needs such as medical problems or want to stay at home with your children, this hourly rate is a good way to do it. The internet is full of companies offering a customer service position and great rates to those who get hired.
What To Expect
The companies looking to hire a work from home customer service representative may require you to have certain experience or training. Most, however, will start you out at the bottom and give you the training you need. They may also ask for a background check as if you were taking on a regular position. The individual company will give you the specifics of what they are looking for and how they expect the job to be done. Some companies may also reimburse you for charges you incur with your phone or other tools and tasks needed to complete the job but this too will vary from company to company.
What You Need To Start Work From Home
It is essential that a home office for customer service contain certain items to make work more productive and efficient. First, you will need a good computer that runs the way it should and the simple knowledge of how to work with it. Second, a high speed internet connection is also a necessity to communicate and place orders and other material for the company. Third, you will need a solid phone line and an unlimited long distance plan so customers can reach you. The most important item the work at home customer service specialist needs is a positive attitude and good people skills to be able to get along with the customers effectively and with high quality service
Customers Expectations
At some time in my career, I learned that the standard for customer service should be to “surprise and delight” the customer. That means you must find out what the customer expects and then give the customer more than he or she expects. The following 9 steps can be used to exceed the customer’s expectations.
1. Ask the customer what he or she expects from you.
2. Based on the customer’s answer, do whatever it takes to deliver more than the customer
expects, and remember that you want the customer to be “surprised and delighted.”
3. Ask the customer if you delivered more than he or she expected.
4. If not, do whatever it takes to deliver more so that the customer is “surprised and
delighted.”
5. Once you know that you have exceeded the customer’s expectations, ask the customer if
there is anything more that you can do.
6. If the customer tells you there is more that you can do, ask what it is and do it.
7. Assume the customer tells you there is nothing more that you can do, but you can think of
something more that you can do. Do the additional thing that you thought would be of
benefit to the customer.
8. After you have done everything that either you or the customer can think of, make sure the
customer knows that it was your pleasure to work with him or her.
9. Tell the customer that you are available at any time if something comes up and the
customer needs additional service.
These steps are not complicated and are really quite simple to follow. You have the ability to make your customer happy when you do so much to meet and exceed his or her expectations. You can be proud of yourself whenever your customers are “surprised and delighted” by your good service.
1. Ask the customer what he or she expects from you.
2. Based on the customer’s answer, do whatever it takes to deliver more than the customer
expects, and remember that you want the customer to be “surprised and delighted.”
3. Ask the customer if you delivered more than he or she expected.
4. If not, do whatever it takes to deliver more so that the customer is “surprised and
delighted.”
5. Once you know that you have exceeded the customer’s expectations, ask the customer if
there is anything more that you can do.
6. If the customer tells you there is more that you can do, ask what it is and do it.
7. Assume the customer tells you there is nothing more that you can do, but you can think of
something more that you can do. Do the additional thing that you thought would be of
benefit to the customer.
8. After you have done everything that either you or the customer can think of, make sure the
customer knows that it was your pleasure to work with him or her.
9. Tell the customer that you are available at any time if something comes up and the
customer needs additional service.
These steps are not complicated and are really quite simple to follow. You have the ability to make your customer happy when you do so much to meet and exceed his or her expectations. You can be proud of yourself whenever your customers are “surprised and delighted” by your good service.
Customer Service For Executives
Everyone in a corporation should learn customer service and that includes the executives to. The late great Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's stated in his book; Grinding It out. That each of his executives had to spend time behind the counter of a McDonald's store greeting customers and understanding the business model in each month. He insisted that his executives never lost touch with reality and understood what their business was all about. It was about customer service he would say and he was right.
Ray Kroc used to say that if a customer is happy when they leave the store they will come back 10 more times. If they are unhappy they may frequent a different restaurant 10 more times until they forget about their bad experience. What he was driving at is that if you lose a customer you lose 10 times of what ever that sale was when they receive the bad service.
Customer service is as important today as it was back then and it will always be the quintessential part of any corporation or small business. If you cut corners on your customer service you will pay for it ten-fold. Customer service means increased sales and increased sales mean successful businesses. Customer service is the key to the health of your company and the wealth that it generates. Please consider all this in 2009.
Ray Kroc used to say that if a customer is happy when they leave the store they will come back 10 more times. If they are unhappy they may frequent a different restaurant 10 more times until they forget about their bad experience. What he was driving at is that if you lose a customer you lose 10 times of what ever that sale was when they receive the bad service.
Customer service is as important today as it was back then and it will always be the quintessential part of any corporation or small business. If you cut corners on your customer service you will pay for it ten-fold. Customer service means increased sales and increased sales mean successful businesses. Customer service is the key to the health of your company and the wealth that it generates. Please consider all this in 2009.
Call Centre Customer Service
When we envision a call center we visualize a big room full of cubicles, desks, and customer service reps (CSRs) answering their telephones with their headsets on. We envision clients and customers calling into a queue and waiting for the next available rep. We think of call center customer service as how fast the CSRs answer the telephone calls – the longer the wait time, the worse the customer service is perceived to be.
But call center customer service goes far beyond that. A call center is a place where a business answers the phone when a client calls. It can be a small business with just one or two employees or a big business with thousands of CSRs manning the phones. It doesn’t matter; a call center isn’t necessarily what we all envision it to be. If you have ever answered the phone at your place of business you have provided customer service at a call center.
Remember that - if you answer the phone, you are providing customer service. That means you need to be accessible to your customers, solve their problems, sell them what they need, and do it in a timely manner. Customer service is not only done by large businesses with an army of service reps, but also by every small business professional, sales person, and business owner.
Every time your business phone rings it is an opportunity to provide exceptional service to a customer. Be courteous, be polite, and your customers will love you for it.
But call center customer service goes far beyond that. A call center is a place where a business answers the phone when a client calls. It can be a small business with just one or two employees or a big business with thousands of CSRs manning the phones. It doesn’t matter; a call center isn’t necessarily what we all envision it to be. If you have ever answered the phone at your place of business you have provided customer service at a call center.
Remember that - if you answer the phone, you are providing customer service. That means you need to be accessible to your customers, solve their problems, sell them what they need, and do it in a timely manner. Customer service is not only done by large businesses with an army of service reps, but also by every small business professional, sales person, and business owner.
Every time your business phone rings it is an opportunity to provide exceptional service to a customer. Be courteous, be polite, and your customers will love you for it.
Why is Customer Service Important
If you are someone who eats out a lot then you know how important customer service is. Of course, it varies from establishment to establishment, and from person to person. Opinions and standards vary quite a bit, but I think we all agree that customer service is very important. We all want to be treated well and to enjoy that friendly service we all deserve. Having spent a decade working in customer service jobs, I can attest that it can be a rather unpleasant occupation to say the latest. However, when you deal with the public for a living and depend on their generosity to pay your bills, you don't have to ask a foolish question like, why is customer service important? That answer has been made clear long ago. The first job I landed was at a Chinese restaurant. The proprietor was an old friend of my uncle's. The first question he hit me with was, why is customer service important? It was actually kind of a tough to understand what he was trying to say in his broken English. I thought he asked me; why is cussing servants in Portland? I was taken aback for a moment but was rescued when he was distracted by another matter. My pal then mercifully translated what he had said, and I basically laughed it off with relief.
While I may not have understood every word that my new employer was trying to say, I didn't have any difficulty learning the value of good customer service. I quickly found out when my deliveries didn't make it on time. Late delivery equaled irritated hungry patron, which meant that I didn't get a tip. Over the next several years I tried jobs in video stores, malls, and taverns. Bartending brought a completely new dynamic to the question, why is customer service important? What do you people to drink, there is a whole new set of rules that you have to operate with. You really do have to keep your emotions in check. Remember, angry customers means no tips. And if you get a trunk customer who knows what he's capable of. When you work positions like these, you want and need the gratuity. You really don't hit an hourly wage that adds up to much so this is really important.
If you are in the service industry then no doubt you fully understand the value of good customer service. I know you don't even have to ask why is customer service important? Since most of us have dined our or been to a bar, we all know what things are crucial. No one likes to be kept waiting nor do they like poor service, especially when you're paying good money. This not only keeps the patrons happy, but the boss as well. Poor customer service can certainly cause a customer to never return. So you ask why is customer service important? Because it pays the bills
While I may not have understood every word that my new employer was trying to say, I didn't have any difficulty learning the value of good customer service. I quickly found out when my deliveries didn't make it on time. Late delivery equaled irritated hungry patron, which meant that I didn't get a tip. Over the next several years I tried jobs in video stores, malls, and taverns. Bartending brought a completely new dynamic to the question, why is customer service important? What do you people to drink, there is a whole new set of rules that you have to operate with. You really do have to keep your emotions in check. Remember, angry customers means no tips. And if you get a trunk customer who knows what he's capable of. When you work positions like these, you want and need the gratuity. You really don't hit an hourly wage that adds up to much so this is really important.
If you are in the service industry then no doubt you fully understand the value of good customer service. I know you don't even have to ask why is customer service important? Since most of us have dined our or been to a bar, we all know what things are crucial. No one likes to be kept waiting nor do they like poor service, especially when you're paying good money. This not only keeps the patrons happy, but the boss as well. Poor customer service can certainly cause a customer to never return. So you ask why is customer service important? Because it pays the bills
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