What is customer service?
Customer service is the direct one-on-one interaction between the consumer making the purchase and the company's representative selling the product. Most retailers view this direct interaction as a critical factor in ensuring buyer satisfaction and encouraging repeat business.
Even today, when most customer service is handled by automated self-service systems, the option of talking to a human being is a necessity for most businesses. This is a crucial aspect of servant leadership.
Key Takeaways
Customer service is the interaction between the buyer of a product and the company selling it.
Good customer service is critical to business success, ensuring brand loyalty one customer at a time.
Recent innovations have focused on automated customer service systems, but in some cases, the human element is integral.
Understanding customer service
Most companies have people behind the scenes who never meet or greet the people who buy their products. Customer service representatives are the ones who have direct contact with buyers. A buyer's perception of a company and its products depends partly on their experience dealing with that person.
For this reason, many companies strive to improve customer satisfaction.
The Cost of Customer Satisfaction
For decades, companies in many industries have sought to reduce personnel costs by automating processes to the greatest extent possible.
In customer service, this has led many companies to implement online and telephone systems to answer as many questions or resolve as many issues as possible while unattended.
However, some customer service issues require human interaction to create a competitive advantage.
Amazon is an example of a company that has done its best to automate a large and complex operation. It must do so as it delivers 4.2 billion packages to customers in 2020.1
Despite this, Amazon still offers 24-hour customer service via phone, in addition to email and live chat services.
Most successful businesses recognize the importance of providing excellent customer service. Polite and understanding interactions with well-trained customer service representatives can mean the difference between losing or retaining a customer.
Customer Service Position Requirements
Expectations for customer service representatives are high. Yet the job is poorly paid. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary in 2021 will be about $36,920. 2
Some job expectations.
Customer service representatives must be personable, knowledgeable and courteous. They need excellent listening skills and a willingness to talk through solutions. Training in conflict resolution may be beneficial.
Strong presentation skills are essential. For phone workers, this means speaking clearly and slowly while maintaining a calm demeanour, even if the customer does not.
Customer Service Employer Responsibilities
Poor management can lead to the failure of any customer service operation—here are some essential tips for managers.
Ensure your customer service representatives are fully informed of the latest information and your company's products and policies.
Regularly evaluate the customer service experience you provide to ensure it is an asset to the company.
Consider conducting periodic surveys to allow customers to provide feedback on the service they receive and to suggest areas for improvement.
Use mobile services effectively.
In recent years, customer service research has focused on creating the perfect online experience.
The first and most challenging factor is the diversity of channels. Today's customers want to access services through whatever application or device they are using at the time. This could be a mobile device or laptop, a social media site, a text application, or live chat.
Once again, the focus is on packaging the content and associated resources for operational methods designed for self-service. Increasingly sophisticated data analytics are also being used to identify dissatisfied or low-engagement customers.
But, as always, the most effective customer service applications need to incorporate human contact, even if only as a last resort.
Customer service is the direct one-on-one interaction between the consumer making the purchase and the company's representative selling the product. Most retailers view this direct interaction as a critical factor in ensuring buyer satisfaction and encouraging repeat business.
Even today, when most customer service is handled by automated self-service systems, the option of talking to a human being is a necessity for most businesses. This is a crucial aspect of servant leadership.
Use customer support software which contains an efficient knowledge base, ticketing system and Live chat. Minimal cost to enhance customer experience.| BClinked
Rapid deployment, simple enough but effective customer support system
Key Takeaways
Customer service is the interaction between the buyer of a product and the company selling it.
Good customer service is critical to business success, ensuring brand loyalty one customer at a time.
Recent innovations have focused on automated customer service systems, but in some cases, the human element is integral.
Understanding customer service
Most companies have people behind the scenes who never meet or greet the people who buy their products. Customer service representatives are the ones who have direct contact with buyers. A buyer's perception of a company and its products depends partly on their experience dealing with that person.
For this reason, many companies strive to improve customer satisfaction.
The Cost of Customer Satisfaction
For decades, companies in many industries have sought to reduce personnel costs by automating processes to the greatest extent possible.
In customer service, this has led many companies to implement online and telephone systems to answer as many questions or resolve as many issues as possible while unattended.
However, some customer service issues require human interaction to create a competitive advantage.
Amazon is an example of a company that has done its best to automate a large and complex operation. It must do so as it delivers 4.2 billion packages to customers in 2020.1
Despite this, Amazon still offers 24-hour customer service via phone, in addition to email and live chat services.
Most successful businesses recognize the importance of providing excellent customer service. Polite and understanding interactions with well-trained customer service representatives can mean the difference between losing or retaining a customer.
Key Components of Good Customer Service
Successful small business owners instinctively understand the need for good customer service. Larger businesses have studied the subject in depth, and they have some basic conclusions about the key components.
Timely attention to issues raised by customers is critical. Asking customers to wait in line or on hold can sour the interaction before it begins.
Customer service should be a single-step process for the consumer. If a customer calls a helpline, the customer service representative should follow up on the issue until it is resolved whenever possible.
If a customer must be transferred to another department, the original representative should follow up with the customer to ensure the issue is resolved.
Successful small business owners instinctively understand the need for good customer service. Larger businesses have studied the subject in depth, and they have some basic conclusions about the key components.
Timely attention to issues raised by customers is critical. Asking customers to wait in line or on hold can sour the interaction before it begins.
Customer service should be a single-step process for the consumer. If a customer calls a helpline, the customer service representative should follow up on the issue until it is resolved whenever possible.
If a customer must be transferred to another department, the original representative should follow up with the customer to ensure the issue is resolved.
Customer Service Position Requirements
Expectations for customer service representatives are high. Yet the job is poorly paid. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary in 2021 will be about $36,920. 2
Some job expectations.
Customer service representatives must be personable, knowledgeable and courteous. They need excellent listening skills and a willingness to talk through solutions. Training in conflict resolution may be beneficial.
Strong presentation skills are essential. For phone workers, this means speaking clearly and slowly while maintaining a calm demeanour, even if the customer does not.
Customer Service Employer Responsibilities
Poor management can lead to the failure of any customer service operation—here are some essential tips for managers.
Ensure your customer service representatives are fully informed of the latest information and your company's products and policies.
Regularly evaluate the customer service experience you provide to ensure it is an asset to the company.
Consider conducting periodic surveys to allow customers to provide feedback on the service they receive and to suggest areas for improvement.
Use mobile services effectively.
In recent years, customer service research has focused on creating the perfect online experience.
The first and most challenging factor is the diversity of channels. Today's customers want to access services through whatever application or device they are using at the time. This could be a mobile device or laptop, a social media site, a text application, or live chat.
Once again, the focus is on packaging the content and associated resources for operational methods designed for self-service. Increasingly sophisticated data analytics are also being used to identify dissatisfied or low-engagement customers.
But, as always, the most effective customer service applications need to incorporate human contact, even if only as a last resort.
Use customer support software which contains an efficient knowledge base, ticketing system and Live chat. Minimal cost to enhance customer experience.| BClinked
Rapid deployment, simple enough but effective customer support system