Customer Service – Important!

Organizations which deal with selling products or supplying services, usually count their main activities and operations as follow:

The products / services themselves. Branding (logo, color themes, business cards design etc) Advertising and Public Relations Marketing and selling Customer Service

Managers of such organizations came to the conclusion that Customer Service is not a marginal task. It became so important that it is considered as a part of the branding, the good name of the firm, a part of the public relations and advertising campaigns and included in the marketing and selling activities.  In many cases, Customer Service is making the big difference between two or more companies who are operating in the same business domain.

 

Customer Service components are:

Human response – face to face, vocal through phones, visual through E-mail. Response availability as soon as possible. Familiarity with all kinds of products, services, mailing and shipping possibilities, prices, Internet site procedures, and the knowledge how to answer every question. Professionalism and perfectionism.

Paragraphs 1 – 3 are by definition understood. The big question is what paragraph 4 means?

Let me take an example from another field – teaching. A teacher can teach History, Literature, Mathematics or any other discipline. He (or she) can be an expert in his matter but if he doesn’t know how to teach then he is a lousy teacher because teaching in itself is a profession. It goes the same with Customer Service – no matter what the company sells, servicing customers is a profession in itself. What do Customer Service people got to have in order to be professionals:

Politeness, courtesy, mannerliness. Patience Human relations capabilities. Understanding what the customers mean while listening or reading what they say or write. High standard of self-expression in writing and talking. Plentiful varied and normative language. Knowing more then one language is an advantage. Empathy – understanding the customer’s point of view from his angle of  thinking. Never underestimate the customer’s problem even if it seams to be stupid or minor or marginal or as if neglectable. Assertiveness – he must protect the firm’s policy of servicing. Customers will always try to ask for huge discounts or immediate shippings or upgrading their orders for no extra fee, and such. Customer Service people have to maintain company’s regulations and yet remain polite and patient. Always respect the customer, no matter how much money he is going to spend and don’t be obsequious either. Marketing orientation – Customer Service people can increase selling values by promoting firm’s other products, leading the serviced customer to close deals, or by overcoming objections.

 

If this is the job and those are it’s demands – who is qualified to be a Customer Service team mate?

Most employers prefer young people or general unskilled uneducated workers. They do it because such people are minimally paid. But this is exactly the reason why they can’t function according to the list of behaviors above.

 

i