Customer Service After sales Service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. According to Jamier L. Scott. (2002), “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation."
Its importance varies by product, industry and customer; defective or broken merchandise can be exchanged, often only with a receipt and within a specified time frame. Retail stores will often have a desk or counter devoted to dealing with returns, exchanges and complaints, or will perform related functions at the point of sale.
Customer service may be provided by a person (e.g., sales and service representative), or by automated means called self-service. Examples of self service are Internet sites. However, In the Internet era, a challenge has been to maintain and/or enhance the personal experience while making use of the efficiencies of online commerce. Writing in Fast Company, entrepreneur and customer systems innovator Micah Solomon has made the point that "Online customers are literally invisible to you (and you to them), so it's easy to shortchange them emotionally. But this lack of visual and tactile presence makes it even more crucial to create a sense of personal, human-to-human connection in the online arena."
Customer service is normally an integral part of a company’s customer value proposition. In their book Rules to Break and Laws to Follow, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. write that "customers have memories. They will remember you, whether you remember them or not." Further, "customer trust can be destroyed at once by a major service problem, or it can be undermined one day at a time, with a thousand small demonstrations of incompetence." From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement
Its importance varies by product, industry and customer; defective or broken merchandise can be exchanged, often only with a receipt and within a specified time frame. Retail stores will often have a desk or counter devoted to dealing with returns, exchanges and complaints, or will perform related functions at the point of sale.
Customer service may be provided by a person (e.g., sales and service representative), or by automated means called self-service. Examples of self service are Internet sites. However, In the Internet era, a challenge has been to maintain and/or enhance the personal experience while making use of the efficiencies of online commerce. Writing in Fast Company, entrepreneur and customer systems innovator Micah Solomon has made the point that "Online customers are literally invisible to you (and you to them), so it's easy to shortchange them emotionally. But this lack of visual and tactile presence makes it even more crucial to create a sense of personal, human-to-human connection in the online arena."
Customer service is normally an integral part of a company’s customer value proposition. In their book Rules to Break and Laws to Follow, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. write that "customers have memories. They will remember you, whether you remember them or not." Further, "customer trust can be destroyed at once by a major service problem, or it can be undermined one day at a time, with a thousand small demonstrations of incompetence." From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement
Some have argued that the quality and level of customer service has decreased in recent years, and that this can be attributed to a lack of support or understanding at the executive and middle management levels of a corporation and/or a customer service policy. To address this argument, many organizations have employed a variety of methods to improve their customer satisfaction levels, and other KPIs
Recently, many organizations have implemented feedback loops that allow them to capture feedback at the point of experience. For example, National Express, one of the UK's leading travel companies invites passengers to send text messages whilst riding the bus. This has been shown to be useful as it allows companies to improve their customer service before the customer defects, thus making it far more likely that the customer will return next time.
A challenge working with customer service is to ensure that you have focused your attention on the right key areas, measured by the rightKey Performance Indicator. There is no challenge to come up with a lot of meaningful KPIs, but the challenge is to select a few which reflects your overall strategy. In addition to reflecting your strategy it should also enable staff to limit their focus to the areas that really matter. The focus must be of those KPIs, which will deliver the most value to the overall objective, e.g. cost saving, service improving etc. It must also be done in such a way that staff sincerely believe that they can make a difference with the effort.
Providing excellent customer service to everyone who comes in. This begins with greeting a customer when they enter the store, and asking the customer if he or she needs help with anything. In addition, the employees should remain available while the customer is shopping, in order to answer questions or offer assistance. Many stores also have a designated counter for customer service, where customers may stop in order to return products, place special orders, or ask questions.
Other businesses provide customer service in different ways. A company with a call center, for example, will only interact with customers over the phone. It is important for employees in this situation to be able to remain calm and polite when speaking to customers on the phone, particularly because customers frequently only contact call centers when they have a problem. Employees should do their best to listen carefully to a customer, resolve any problems or issues quickly, and to bring in a manager or supervisor to solve the problem if necessary.
Businesses often give customers the opportunity to give feedback on their perceived levels of customer service. This can take place through phone, mail-in, or on-line surveys with a few brief questions. The responses to this type of survey can give businesses an idea of where they are succeeding as well as areas where they need to improve. It is in the best interest of every business to spend a lot of time focusing on customer service, because customers who feel that they are treated poorly will simply go elsewhere. In addition, customers are not afraid to post scathing reviews online when they feel that they receive poor service, which can be incredibly damaging to a business's reputation, causing them to lose even more income
Customer service/after sales service and retention
Customer retention is not only a cost effective and profitable strategy, but in today's business world it's necessary. This is especially true when you remember that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customer and clients. With these statistics I am wondering why most marketing and sales campaigns are designed for the new customer.
Take for instance the wireless telephone companies; if you sign a new contract you are given a large rebate or even a free cellular telephone. If you are a current customer you have the privilege of paying full price. Can someone please explain that methodology to me. With this type of promotion are we not just pushing current customers and clients to seek services elsewhere when their contract ends? Perhaps we need to rethink our marketing and sales strategies, afterall many experts will tell you that it's five times more profitable to spend marketing and advertising dollars to retain current customers than it is to acquire new customers. In years past the importance of focusing on customer retention was not as important, stickiness came naturally. We shopped in our neighborhood shops and our corner grocery stores. We had a personal connection with our service providers and the thought of shopping at another store would have never crossed our minds.
That has all changed now. Our stores our larger, the majority of the sales personnel don't know that you even exist. Not to mention that now we have the convenience of the Internet and do a large portion of our shopping online, where you are known by your email address. As a result, customer loyalty has disappeared and large corporations and virtual storefronts are unable to ask the millions of disloyal customers what caused them to stray. However, there is a solution. Sophisticated technology and database equipment has made it possible for specialized firms to make attempts at customer retention through database marketing programs. Establishing a detailed client database will allow these companies to keep track of personal information and individual preferences of all their customers. This enables them to provide better service and value. Just like the corner grocery store owner kept information on 200 customers in his head, the large superstore can now keep track of 20,000 customers through its customer database. With effective implementation of customer databases, companies will be able to re-establish contact with customers, and will be able to work successfully towards increasing customer retention, repeat sales, and customer referrals.
To achieve the objectives of the database and customer retention programs, the entire campaign should be designed and carried out with the customer in mind. The exercise will only be effective if the customer recognizes and associates some value with being part of your database. If they do not perceive value in your program all of your communications, coupons, special offers, and newsletters will be discarded. Your customers have been inundated with meaningless "junk" mail and email spam, so embed your campaign with value.
Customer service and after-sales service
The service you provide to your customers is crucial to your business success. For many customers, after-sales service is what makes one supplier stand out from another, often more than product or price. Good customer service can attract new business and can create a loyal customer base. There are many simple things you can do to improve the service you provide. The starting point is to deliver what you promise, every time. To make sure you keep satisfied customers, you must keep your word. If you do more, you will impress your customers and they will recommend you to their friends. Finally, you must listen and respond when they have complaints
Exceptional customer service
Customer service is all about expectation. A business that offers a fast response or a personal service is setting up an expectation. If that company does not fulfil its promise, its customers will be disappointed.
Make sure your members of staff are delivering the level of customer service you expect. Lead by example and show your team exactly how you want them to deal with customers. Encourage them to come to you with feedback and suggestions. When you recruit new staff, look for people with the right attitude.
What are you promising your customers? Go through all the aspects of your sales and marketing and identify your selling points. Are your customers' expectations being met or exceeded?
The best way to wow your customers is to under-promise and over-deliver. If you know you can deliver in three days, promise five and your customer will be pleasantly surprised.
It's good to advertise your strengths, whether they are fast delivery times, friendly service or top quality products. But if you make empty promises and the reality does not match your claims, then you will lose business. However, if your service is top notch and your customers agree then tell the world - there's no stronger marketing message.
Go the extra mile for your customers
Really good customer service gets people talking. If you go above and beyond the call of duty for your customers, they will tell everyone they know and you will get wonderful word-of-mouth recommendations.
After you've made a sale, for instance, call your customer to check that everything is OK. If it is, they'll be pleased you rang. If there is a problem, you can address it immediately and they'll be delighted.
Pay attention to details. Follow up calls or emails quickly. If the customer has a problem, try and solve it for them. Keep records of customer service, especially if you have new members of staff that need to get up to speed on your customers. Handling customer complaints Inevitably, things go wrong sometimes. However, it is how you handle problems that can determine whether you lose business or actually improve customer loyalty.
More and more people are prepared to complain. Those that do are doing you a favour. They are giving you valuable feedback for nothing and helping you to improve your service. Many other customers may have quietly taken their business elsewhere. What's more, if you impress that customer with the way you handle their problem, they will become advocates for your business.
When a customer complains, you must be respectful and sympathetic, even if you think they are wrong. You should thank them for complaining and apologise. You must also act quickly. A prompt response shows that you take the problem seriously and reduces the time the customer spends feeling disgruntled.
When someone complains, always ask them what they want. Many firms assume that consumers are seeking a financial solution, such as a refund or compensation when all many people want is an apology. Allow the customer to give you all the facts so that they can get it off their chest and then you can provide the most suitable solution.
Set up a customer complaints procedure and ensure that members of staff know what they can offer. Follow up the complaint with a phone call or a letter of apology. Finally, ensure that you permanently fix the problem and let the customer know what you have done
References http://marketing.about.com/cs/customerservice/a/crmstrategy.htm
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13437596/The-Importance-of-After-Sales-Service
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/customer-care/customer-service-and-after-sales-service
http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/business/strategy/activity/custservice1.htm
Recently, many organizations have implemented feedback loops that allow them to capture feedback at the point of experience. For example, National Express, one of the UK's leading travel companies invites passengers to send text messages whilst riding the bus. This has been shown to be useful as it allows companies to improve their customer service before the customer defects, thus making it far more likely that the customer will return next time.
A challenge working with customer service is to ensure that you have focused your attention on the right key areas, measured by the rightKey Performance Indicator. There is no challenge to come up with a lot of meaningful KPIs, but the challenge is to select a few which reflects your overall strategy. In addition to reflecting your strategy it should also enable staff to limit their focus to the areas that really matter. The focus must be of those KPIs, which will deliver the most value to the overall objective, e.g. cost saving, service improving etc. It must also be done in such a way that staff sincerely believe that they can make a difference with the effort.
One of the most important aspects of a customer service KPI is that of what is often referred to as the "Feel Good Factor". Basically the goal is to not only help the customer have a good experience, but to offer them an experience that exceeds their expectations. Several key points are listed as follows:
1. Know your product – Know what products/service you are offering back to front. In other words be an information expert. It is okay to say "I don't know", but it should always be followed up by... "but let me find out" or possibly " but my friend knows!" Whatever the situation may be, make sure that you don't leave your customer with an unanswered question.
2. Body Language/Communication – Most of the communication that we relay to others is done through body language. If we have a negative body language when we interact with others it can show our lack of care. Two of the most important parts of positive body language are smiling, and eye contact. Make sure to look your customers in the eye. It shows that we are listening to them, not at them. And then of course smiling is just more inviting than someone who has a blank look on their face.
3. Anticipate Guest Needs – Nothing surprises your customer more than an employee going the extra mile to help them. Always look for ways to serve your customer more than they expect. In doing so it helps them to know that you care and it will leave them with the "Feel Good Factor" that we are searching for.
Customer service is the practice of providing customers with a positive, helpful experience when they enter a business, throughout the time they stay at the business, and even after the customer leaves, should they have additional questions or products to return. Many stores and other businesses spend a great deal of time training their employees to provide great customer service, because it makes a customer more likely to become a returning, loyal client. There are a number of different ways that employees can provide great service to a customer, and most do not take much extra effort at all.2. Body Language/Communication – Most of the communication that we relay to others is done through body language. If we have a negative body language when we interact with others it can show our lack of care. Two of the most important parts of positive body language are smiling, and eye contact. Make sure to look your customers in the eye. It shows that we are listening to them, not at them. And then of course smiling is just more inviting than someone who has a blank look on their face.
3. Anticipate Guest Needs – Nothing surprises your customer more than an employee going the extra mile to help them. Always look for ways to serve your customer more than they expect. In doing so it helps them to know that you care and it will leave them with the "Feel Good Factor" that we are searching for.
Providing excellent customer service to everyone who comes in. This begins with greeting a customer when they enter the store, and asking the customer if he or she needs help with anything. In addition, the employees should remain available while the customer is shopping, in order to answer questions or offer assistance. Many stores also have a designated counter for customer service, where customers may stop in order to return products, place special orders, or ask questions.
Other businesses provide customer service in different ways. A company with a call center, for example, will only interact with customers over the phone. It is important for employees in this situation to be able to remain calm and polite when speaking to customers on the phone, particularly because customers frequently only contact call centers when they have a problem. Employees should do their best to listen carefully to a customer, resolve any problems or issues quickly, and to bring in a manager or supervisor to solve the problem if necessary.
Businesses often give customers the opportunity to give feedback on their perceived levels of customer service. This can take place through phone, mail-in, or on-line surveys with a few brief questions. The responses to this type of survey can give businesses an idea of where they are succeeding as well as areas where they need to improve. It is in the best interest of every business to spend a lot of time focusing on customer service, because customers who feel that they are treated poorly will simply go elsewhere. In addition, customers are not afraid to post scathing reviews online when they feel that they receive poor service, which can be incredibly damaging to a business's reputation, causing them to lose even more income
Customer service/after sales service and retention
Customer retention is not only a cost effective and profitable strategy, but in today's business world it's necessary. This is especially true when you remember that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customer and clients. With these statistics I am wondering why most marketing and sales campaigns are designed for the new customer.
Take for instance the wireless telephone companies; if you sign a new contract you are given a large rebate or even a free cellular telephone. If you are a current customer you have the privilege of paying full price. Can someone please explain that methodology to me. With this type of promotion are we not just pushing current customers and clients to seek services elsewhere when their contract ends? Perhaps we need to rethink our marketing and sales strategies, afterall many experts will tell you that it's five times more profitable to spend marketing and advertising dollars to retain current customers than it is to acquire new customers. In years past the importance of focusing on customer retention was not as important, stickiness came naturally. We shopped in our neighborhood shops and our corner grocery stores. We had a personal connection with our service providers and the thought of shopping at another store would have never crossed our minds.
That has all changed now. Our stores our larger, the majority of the sales personnel don't know that you even exist. Not to mention that now we have the convenience of the Internet and do a large portion of our shopping online, where you are known by your email address. As a result, customer loyalty has disappeared and large corporations and virtual storefronts are unable to ask the millions of disloyal customers what caused them to stray. However, there is a solution. Sophisticated technology and database equipment has made it possible for specialized firms to make attempts at customer retention through database marketing programs. Establishing a detailed client database will allow these companies to keep track of personal information and individual preferences of all their customers. This enables them to provide better service and value. Just like the corner grocery store owner kept information on 200 customers in his head, the large superstore can now keep track of 20,000 customers through its customer database. With effective implementation of customer databases, companies will be able to re-establish contact with customers, and will be able to work successfully towards increasing customer retention, repeat sales, and customer referrals.
To achieve the objectives of the database and customer retention programs, the entire campaign should be designed and carried out with the customer in mind. The exercise will only be effective if the customer recognizes and associates some value with being part of your database. If they do not perceive value in your program all of your communications, coupons, special offers, and newsletters will be discarded. Your customers have been inundated with meaningless "junk" mail and email spam, so embed your campaign with value.
Customer service and after-sales service
The service you provide to your customers is crucial to your business success. For many customers, after-sales service is what makes one supplier stand out from another, often more than product or price. Good customer service can attract new business and can create a loyal customer base. There are many simple things you can do to improve the service you provide. The starting point is to deliver what you promise, every time. To make sure you keep satisfied customers, you must keep your word. If you do more, you will impress your customers and they will recommend you to their friends. Finally, you must listen and respond when they have complaints
Exceptional customer service
Customer service is all about expectation. A business that offers a fast response or a personal service is setting up an expectation. If that company does not fulfil its promise, its customers will be disappointed.
Make sure your members of staff are delivering the level of customer service you expect. Lead by example and show your team exactly how you want them to deal with customers. Encourage them to come to you with feedback and suggestions. When you recruit new staff, look for people with the right attitude.
What are you promising your customers? Go through all the aspects of your sales and marketing and identify your selling points. Are your customers' expectations being met or exceeded?
The best way to wow your customers is to under-promise and over-deliver. If you know you can deliver in three days, promise five and your customer will be pleasantly surprised.
It's good to advertise your strengths, whether they are fast delivery times, friendly service or top quality products. But if you make empty promises and the reality does not match your claims, then you will lose business. However, if your service is top notch and your customers agree then tell the world - there's no stronger marketing message.
Go the extra mile for your customers
Really good customer service gets people talking. If you go above and beyond the call of duty for your customers, they will tell everyone they know and you will get wonderful word-of-mouth recommendations.
After you've made a sale, for instance, call your customer to check that everything is OK. If it is, they'll be pleased you rang. If there is a problem, you can address it immediately and they'll be delighted.
Pay attention to details. Follow up calls or emails quickly. If the customer has a problem, try and solve it for them. Keep records of customer service, especially if you have new members of staff that need to get up to speed on your customers. Handling customer complaints Inevitably, things go wrong sometimes. However, it is how you handle problems that can determine whether you lose business or actually improve customer loyalty.
More and more people are prepared to complain. Those that do are doing you a favour. They are giving you valuable feedback for nothing and helping you to improve your service. Many other customers may have quietly taken their business elsewhere. What's more, if you impress that customer with the way you handle their problem, they will become advocates for your business.
When a customer complains, you must be respectful and sympathetic, even if you think they are wrong. You should thank them for complaining and apologise. You must also act quickly. A prompt response shows that you take the problem seriously and reduces the time the customer spends feeling disgruntled.
When someone complains, always ask them what they want. Many firms assume that consumers are seeking a financial solution, such as a refund or compensation when all many people want is an apology. Allow the customer to give you all the facts so that they can get it off their chest and then you can provide the most suitable solution.
Set up a customer complaints procedure and ensure that members of staff know what they can offer. Follow up the complaint with a phone call or a letter of apology. Finally, ensure that you permanently fix the problem and let the customer know what you have done
References http://marketing.about.com/cs/customerservice/a/crmstrategy.htm
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/13437596/The-Importance-of-After-Sales-Service
http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/customer-care/customer-service-and-after-sales-service
http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/business/strategy/activity/custservice1.htm
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