Customer Service

Customer Service Is A Vital Component Of Your Business

Customer service is one of the most important aspects of any business, from the smallest one person operation to the companies at the head of the Fortune 500. it is also one of the most time consuming aspects, and if you are not careful the workload can spiral out of control before you have time to provide the service which you genuinely want to provide. It is vital to plan in advance for a possible expansion of your business, and to know exactly what you will do should there be too great a burden placed upon your resources.

The importance of serving the customer well and being responsive to inquiries is something which can be demonstrated and measured. There have been many businesses in the past which would routinely ignore complaints and requests for information, saying that they couldn't satisfy the former and they couldn't sell the latter. The waste paper baskets of these companies were full of potential income, as nothing impresses a customer more than having grievances dealt with in a quick and efficient manner, and people seeking further information are obviously interested and are often begging to be sold something. The money you can make by dealing with these issues is far greater than the money you save by ignoring them.

Providing a high level of service has become even more important now that the Internet allows public opinion to be so freely shared. There are independent review sites for just about every type of business, and negative reviews can do a great deal of harm. Some negative reviews are false and malicious, and have simply been posted by friends of the owner of a competing business. Should this happen to you, there is a chance that the site owners could remove the review. Reviews which come from genuine customers, though, will not be removed unless they contain inappropriate content.

The provision of good customer service has become so important that entire careers are dedicated to it. There are representatives at all levels whose sole purpose it is to take inquiries and feedback from customers and try to satisfy it. This is a career which you can break into with no formal education and no previous experience, as the turnover in personnel is high. Telephone customer representatives will inevitably be subjected to abusive comments even though they have no personal responsibility for anything which may have happened, so many do not stay in the job for long.

If you can manage to secure a low level entry job, you will have the chance to progress through the system to a high level. Many companies of large and medium size have a need for a manager to oversee their customer relations operation, and these managers can be paid a good salary. Experience of working at the lower level is vital, as there will be times when a dissatisfied customer will want to escalate a complaint to the next level. There is a lot more to being a manager in customer relations than just overseeing telephone based operatives.

If you are determined to reach the top in your customer service career there are several steps you an take to increase your chances. With this career, practical experience is more important than theoretical learning, so college courses aren't necessary. If you can spare the time, though, it is always a good idea to obtain a vocational qualification, as it demonstrates serious intent to succeed in this career. Having a good work record is the most important consideration, so make sure you give the best you can to your current job, even if it one you desperately want to break away from.

Finding good customer focused operatives is not the easiest task in the world, and employers are constantly having to deal with the high staff turnover and above average rates of absenteeism. More companies are now making the choice to outsource their customer focused work, often to countries where the average wage is far lower than it is in the West. This can certainly be a financially sound move, but it always has to be remembered that overseas call centers have a poor reputation amongst customers. A good understanding of English is essential for this type of arrangement to work.

As with so many other aspects of our working life, customer service can be enhanced by the use of modern computer technology. If you are used to handling customer inquiries by telephone, you will need to keep a record of the dialog as it occurs, and of the steps which are taken to resolve the situation. This is best done using a workstation which will be in front of the operative as they are fielding the call. For email inquiries, it is best to set up a dedicated help desk using specialist software designed to enhance customer service.

Written by James A. Carroll, author

 

 

 

 

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