IMPLEMENTING GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE – THE BASICS
If you are going to have a definitive customer service program with effective implementation, it becomes essential to define what level of customer service performance your product and market niche requires.
This means you must create a specific customer service performance model. You cannot be all things to all people. Therefore, you must specifically define what you intend to do for your customer.
More than anything else the customer service performance model must define value. Value can simply be defined as what you give the customer in product and service for the market niche and price range you are serving.
That is why it is essential to evaluate what market niche your product is serving and what level of customer service performance is expected within your market definition and price structure.
Regardless of the price of your product (expensive/inexpensive) you have customer expectations within that price structure. An example is the current phenomenon of on-line, retail discounters offering brand-name products at discounted prices. While the product may be the same, the level of service expectation is considerably less and this is clearly stated in their marketing and advertising messages.
You must decide what level of the market you are going to serve. This is true for large companies as well as small, because each region or location has to meet local competitive needs in order to be successful. This also requires each location to train its employees to respond specifically to the need of the defined market.
There is nothing more critical in delivering good customer service than to begin meeting your potential customer’s expectations from the minute they enter your business, be it on-location or virtual. Remember, these expectations have been created by your advertising. What you say you are must match what you are in both service and quality - nothing less than authenticity will do here. It is essential.
Customer service must be defined as more than simply being part of your selling process. It is an overview, a philosophy of doing business, and must be integrated into your whole process.
Each business is a unique and dynamic living sculpture consisting of a delicate balance of necessary relationships. When this delicate balance is not present, the productivity, profitability and satisfaction owners and managers are hoping to find from their business endeavors does not happen.
Next time we will specifically review the essential questions you must ask and answer to implement a successful customer service policy.
For more information read: The competitive advantage
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