Thursday, February 23, 2012

Understanding Customer Service


Does your organization share the same view of customer service? Having an organizational philosophy around customer service is as important as having a mission and vision statement. A business cannot gain a competitive advantage through mediocre transactions with customers. What does customer service mean to you? Service wins the game." Here is our customer service definition.
Customer Service is a philosophy of being customer-focused, put into daily practice by all employees. It is understanding that your perceptions influence the type of interaction with the customer. The customer is always right. Interaction vs. transaction. 
Our behaviors and how we interact with customers need to focus on building relationships (strategic, proactive, organization-initiated) versus having a transaction with a customer (reactive, customer-driven, situational).
Businesses have guidelines, which support employees in making decisions and understanding workflow, but during an interaction, the customer wants to feel like their unique need is being addressed (even if the need isn't unique at all).
Define your story. 
Customers in every business are telling a story about their experience with you once it is over. Customer focused organizations define an experience based on what their customers want and then create processes, enable technology, train and support people to action.
Happy employees = happy customers. 
Our customers will only be treated as well as our employees. Part of customer service initiatives must include strategies around hiring, retention, and motivation of our most valuable internal assets.
Activity: 
Here is an activity you could use to define customer service. Since you are in the business of customer service, using the flip chart "what to do" and adding answers to it, brainstorm a list of behaviours that answer the statement "Customer Service means..." You might have responses like: Customer Service means doing what you can for the customer, answering their question on the spot, following up on promises, asking strategic questions to understand the customer need and motive, etc. 
(By Jayne Kowal)

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