The Importance Of Good Customer Service
http://www.thinktankarticles.com/articles/2612/1/The-Importance-Of-Good-Customer-Service/Page1.html
Abbie Stutzer
Abbie Stutzer is a graduate student in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. She is currently working in the marketing department at Absorbent, Ink. (<a href="http://www.absorbentprinting.com" title="http://www.absorbentprinting.com" target="_blank">http://www.absorbentprinting.com</a>) By Abbie Stutzer
Published on 07/26/2007
Sitting at a phone all day and taking orders from customers who are in assorted moods can be a demoralizing job Customer service representatives deal with customers who do not know what they want, customers who want what they cannot get and at times, customers who are unaware of what a business actually sells
Sitting at a phone all day and taking orders from customers who are in assorted moods can be a demoralizing job. Customer service representatives deal with customers who do not know what they want, customers who want what they cannot get and at times, customers who are unaware of what a business actually sells. These various factors make customer service a difficult profession.
Representatives who answer the phones for your business, however, may be more important in the public’s viewpoint than anyone else in the company. Sure, customer service representatives don’t run the company, create products or write and design the company’s Web site, but they are in direct contact with the public during business hours, every day. When customers call a promotional products and corporate gifts company, they should be treated in a respectful manner. The representatives in customer services should be capable of handling problems with honesty and respect; they should care about each customer and their requests equally; and the company as a whole should have the ability to come up with creative ideas that inspire each customer through newsletters, emails and possibly a blog.
Problems come in various shapes and sizes. Customers can be disappointed that the spacing on the 100 cups they ordered is not wide enough or that the seat cushions they purchased are not the correct hue of red. Each of these issues, no matter how small or trivial they seem, are important. Every issue a customer service department deals with should be done so with care and honesty, that-as cheesy as it sounds-comes from the heart or at least the heart of the company. In the article “Communicating with Credibility” on http://EmergingLeader.com, Christine W. Zust said, “When a message is communicated from the heart, it is more believable.” Without genuine care and honesty, customers will think the company they are dealing with did not care they made a mistake. This can cause the customer to not want to deal with that company again. Zust said that leadership that deals with and accepts full responsibility for their words and actions from the beginning are the most successful.
Another definite way to lose a customer is if your company customer service representatives have an air of indifference. In the article How to Enhance Customer Service in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Bill Gessert, president of TeleSolutions Consultants LLC, said, “68% of customers who stop doing business with you do so because of a perception of indifference. If customer service is not your passion, it will be for your competition.” Indifference or a lack of enthusiasm is something to avoid; don’t let it bring down your company.
The last thing that should be maintained by customer services and a company concerns employees who think of the ideas a company presents. This does not directly pertain to those answering the phone, but it does concern those who write the company’s newsletters, emails, blog, and those who come up with and design the products the company sells. A monthly newsletter that goes out to customers and gives them new market trends, product ideas and special company discounts can help a customer feel like they are in touch with a company. Having a company blogger may also help or come in useful if a customer has a particular question they want answered. Many companies have a blog that is run by someone within the company. This blogger can help customers develop product ideas to ensure the customer gets what they want. Newsletters, blogs and emails can get the attention of a customer and help them communicate with those who create products in a timely manner. In the article “The Keys to Delivering World-Class Service” in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Jay Lipe said, “In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help.” Make sure that your company contacts customers quickly to ensure customer satisfaction. This type of communication between customer and employee may not be as personal as a phone call or a meeting, but it is important.
Customer service is a department at a company that should not be ignored. Merely hiring someone who has the ability to pick up a phone is not enough to maintain and build a customer base. Hiring people who have the ability to maintain an honest message, having employees who care and who are able to interact and assist customers with specific products and interact with a customer will.
Representatives who answer the phones for your business, however, may be more important in the public’s viewpoint than anyone else in the company. Sure, customer service representatives don’t run the company, create products or write and design the company’s Web site, but they are in direct contact with the public during business hours, every day. When customers call a promotional products and corporate gifts company, they should be treated in a respectful manner. The representatives in customer services should be capable of handling problems with honesty and respect; they should care about each customer and their requests equally; and the company as a whole should have the ability to come up with creative ideas that inspire each customer through newsletters, emails and possibly a blog.
Problems come in various shapes and sizes. Customers can be disappointed that the spacing on the 100 cups they ordered is not wide enough or that the seat cushions they purchased are not the correct hue of red. Each of these issues, no matter how small or trivial they seem, are important. Every issue a customer service department deals with should be done so with care and honesty, that-as cheesy as it sounds-comes from the heart or at least the heart of the company. In the article “Communicating with Credibility” on http://EmergingLeader.com, Christine W. Zust said, “When a message is communicated from the heart, it is more believable.” Without genuine care and honesty, customers will think the company they are dealing with did not care they made a mistake. This can cause the customer to not want to deal with that company again. Zust said that leadership that deals with and accepts full responsibility for their words and actions from the beginning are the most successful.
Another definite way to lose a customer is if your company customer service representatives have an air of indifference. In the article How to Enhance Customer Service in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Bill Gessert, president of TeleSolutions Consultants LLC, said, “68% of customers who stop doing business with you do so because of a perception of indifference. If customer service is not your passion, it will be for your competition.” Indifference or a lack of enthusiasm is something to avoid; don’t let it bring down your company.
The last thing that should be maintained by customer services and a company concerns employees who think of the ideas a company presents. This does not directly pertain to those answering the phone, but it does concern those who write the company’s newsletters, emails, blog, and those who come up with and design the products the company sells. A monthly newsletter that goes out to customers and gives them new market trends, product ideas and special company discounts can help a customer feel like they are in touch with a company. Having a company blogger may also help or come in useful if a customer has a particular question they want answered. Many companies have a blog that is run by someone within the company. This blogger can help customers develop product ideas to ensure the customer gets what they want. Newsletters, blogs and emails can get the attention of a customer and help them communicate with those who create products in a timely manner. In the article “The Keys to Delivering World-Class Service” in the e-magazine Customer Service Professionals, Jay Lipe said, “In a recent study by Jupiter Research, 33 percent of all Internet companies surveyed took three days or longer to get back to customers that had e-mailed for help.” Make sure that your company contacts customers quickly to ensure customer satisfaction. This type of communication between customer and employee may not be as personal as a phone call or a meeting, but it is important.
Customer service is a department at a company that should not be ignored. Merely hiring someone who has the ability to pick up a phone is not enough to maintain and build a customer base. Hiring people who have the ability to maintain an honest message, having employees who care and who are able to interact and assist customers with specific products and interact with a customer will.