Good Customer Service

How can you define Customer Service?

This can be a difficult subject and not as easy as you may think. The mind can also become cloudy and confused very quickly when reading through the numerous definitions listed on the Web for the term ‘customer service’. It can therefore be difficult for the reader to work out which definition would best fit the particular situation or workplace he or she may belong to. A lot of the definitions I have come across during my research are all relevant, insightful and interesting, but more often than not customer service is often misinterpreted then poorly implemented because it has been badly defined.

Most successful Corporations and businesses require a customer service model upon which a strategy can be built because in today’s business environment, the common belief that customer service is just ‘meeting the needs of the customer’ is not enough.

To help find answers on how to define customer service, I have collated the following simple phrases that outline what I think the definition of customer service should embrace.

Customer service is………

- a positive attitude of caring and ability to deliver the needs of the customer

- an assurance to provide quality service to internal and external customers in a suitable
manner

- the practice of providing customers with top class benefits in order to satisfy them

- any dealings between a customer and a business that causes a good or bad
perception by a customer.

- is a term that portrays the helpful process on how a customers needs are taken care of

- is how a business provides the requirements of its customers

- is the art of treating customers efficiently and fairly

- is the expertise to provide a product to the customer as agreed

In my quest to define customer service and after studying many of the customer service definitions I have come across, it became clear that to define customer service it would be necessary to include the following simple and basic key elements…… Effectively attending to and satisfying a customer’s needs through various channels (personal, phone, mail) by providing helpful assistance and friendly advice before, during and after a purchase or service the customer is provided.

So why bother to define customer service?

There are many people who say you can’t define customer service. This is because many organizations put themselves first and the customer second, which is interesting because it is easy to sit back with a smile of satisfaction and say “we have had a good year, profits are up and things are going well”. That approach is understandable when things are running smoothly, but in times of uncertainty, steps need to be taken to look at gaining a competitive edge and a reputation on delivering quality service or products to the consumer. Today, many long standing businesses constantly review their customer service systems and processes in an effort to look for improvement to their business as and when required.

The answer therefore to ‘why bother to define customer service’ is to help businesses learn and understand better what their customers’ needs and wants are, so that plans can be developed that improve and put into practice processes that are customer friendly.