Customer Service - A Sweet Essence
First let us specifically define customer service. It is the performance of a duty or responsibility due to a customer as a result of selling them a product or service.
We must distinguish between customer sales and service versus customer service. Whereas customer sales and service is largely concerned with selling an additional item or an additional service subsequent to an initial sale, customer service is mainly concerned with customer care.
True customer service is synonymous with "ACCOMMODATION". When we sell a product or a service we accept the responsibility and the obligation to potentially provide our customers with a broad range of possible actions. These actions we define as customer service and may include necessary "ACCOMMODATIONS" to make the initial product or service reasonably useful in the way it was intended and in the way that it was marketed.
"Due to unusually heavy call volume our customer service agents are busy helping other customers. Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold? Please continue to hold? Please continue to hold?" No article on customer service would be complete without addressing automated telephone systems. We are all consumers. It does not matter what else we do, whether we are manufacturers or clerks or customer service agents. We should make ourselves available so that our customers can speak with us. Nothing beats face to face contact but the next best thing is a person's voice. Overall, I believe that automated phone systems may be the worst single tool ever invented for all of us as consumers.
There are a very few select companies whose systems serve us well by pointedly and quickly getting us fast service. But the vast majority of these automated telephone systems are nothing more than roadblocks to consumers. We have all been there and have been frustrated all too often. You might as well try to call the president of the United States.
WE, ALL OF US, ARE PUTTING EACH OTHER ON HOLD ON THE TELEPHONE LINE... !!!
Why not hire a live breathing caring human being who knows their job depends on their customer. This is not rocket science!
When was the last time that you received outstanding customer service? Did you feel like you wanted to do more business with that company? Did you like the people who were helping you? Right there is one of the most powerful forces in customer service - customer loyalty and retention. What else is there in business with such a sweet essence.
Biography: Since 1979 Jim Hoyle has owned and operated Lamp Manufacturer Factory Outlet. The company designs and manufactures truly unique lamps and acquires genuine antique vintage lamps through very special situations. They drop ship lamps worldwide for catalog companies, stores, designers, individual decorators and internet based companies of all kinds. Contact Jim at: junguljim@peoplepc.com or his company's website at http://www.hoylelamps.com
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Businesses Need to Rehumanise
Big companies and corporations have lost the human touch. The question is, when will humanity catch on, or like robotic sheep will we do whatever the business shepherds tell us, no matter how bad we are treated? I am talking from firsthand interaction here.
Clients?Do You Really Need Them?
Running a successful business takes a lot of energy and there are so many areas that as a business owner you need to pay attention too.It's not enough to spend heaps of time, money and resources into getting buyers for your goods and services and then leaving those clients/customers to their own devices.
Write a Business Thank-You Note
Have you seen that thing on TV where the gal tells
the nerd she wonders why he never asked her to
marry him and he stumbles and says "Thank You" and
she turns to butter?The point of the message is that "Thank You" goes
a long way to making people feel better.Personally and in business, develop the "Thank
You" habit.
Sending Mixed Signals Can Send Your Clients Away
I call it the "wave and roll."You walk up to an intersection.
Customer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relationships
If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with this recorded message "This call may be recorded or monitored for quality purposes." I immediately think to myself, "Oh great, here comes the game of 20 questions.
Customer Service: Why Bears Make Bad Customers
Every business owner should have a picture of his or her ideal customer. When I picture my ideal customer, I see a business owner struggling to find time for all that needs to be done, someone passionate about what they do, someone striving to find answers to make their business run better.
Hit The Jackpot With Customer Complaints
Our most powerful instinct is to avoid customer complaints, but they may be the best thing that happens to your business. Here's why.
The Sellers Creed
I will not make sales. I will make Customers.
Dealing with People - Words to Avoid
You probably realise how the wrong tone of voice and
negative body language can cause problems when dealing with
other people, particularly customers and staff. However,
using the wrong words can also cause problems.
Customer Service Has Moved Toward Customer Care
As I waited for an answer to my VCR inquiry from a stereo company, the recording stated a "customer care" representative would be available shortly. At that moment, I realized it's finally catching on everywhere.
Sorry, No Customer Service After 4:00 P.M.
A few months ago, I wrote about ingenious styles of customer service that every business should know about, mostly because their employees were inflicting them on their customers.For instance, I warned about "in your face customer service" and "run for cover customer service", two equally effective opposites.
Basic Levels of Consumer Integrity that Presently Permeates Society
Reality is not always pretty. But here is a tad bit of it for you today.
Dissatisfied or Rude Customers Can Be Satisfied Customers
On a recent airline flight I was an upset customer. I was arriving on a late
inbound flight and connecting with the last flight out on the same airline, but the
connecting flight left without me! At first, I was furious when told to wait in a line of
300 people to resolve my problem.
What's in a Name?
Different people call their Customers by different names. If they don't have Customers, they have Clients, purchasers, licensees, users, patients, members, franchisees, or buyers.
Dealing with Disgruntled Customers
No matter how hard you try, in business you simply can't please everyone. You could have a highly trained customer service squadron and an award-winning product, but still you'd have some buyers who just weren't happy.
Customer Service Tips for Mail Order Businesses
Can we be too good to our customers? No way! Our customers are the backbone of our business! They're right no matter what!
But I'm sorry to disagree with you. As small, honest and legitimate businesses - we have a tendency to place our product quality above money.
The 3 Rs of Customer Service
What I am about to tell you may seem very obvious - you may even say DUH!!! but the fact is, - many company's forget the 3 R's of good customer service- Respect your Customer, Take Responsibility for Your Actions and Products and give your Customers a Full REFUND when it just isn't right. I promise you that if you follow these 3 simple rules you will never have to run after the same customer again!Respect the customer! Just about as plain as the nose on your face Right? Wrong!How many times have you been greeted in a less than courteous manner or worse yet- not at all!! Never lose the opportunity to make a great first impression- very rarely do you have a second chance to undo the damage done by that first encounter.
Carpet Cleaning in Surrey
Like any business, carpet and upholstery cleaning requires excellent customer service and great value for money.
There are a number of ways in which one can obtain these.
Breaking the Ice and Winning Over the Client!
Wherever you turn these days you'll find articles covering every business strategy and tactic available to man, from how to make a great presentation to strategies for success all the way to negotiations and prospecting and getting a client to commit. But hardly anyone touches on the subject of breaking the ice with a new client and winning them over.
7 Bits Of Critical Information You Cant Afford NOT To Know About Your Customers
If you think customer relationship management is just a piece of software, you're dead wrong. Customer relationship management is about understanding your customers.
|