More Than Lip Service

The level of customer service provided by a company will make or break the bottom line every quarter. Businesses that take their customers for granted will soon find out that survival is impossible under those conditions. Global competition that exists nowadays demands that each and every company pay particular attention to the quality of customer service being offered on a daily basis. Not only should excellent customer service be part of a company’s mission, but also an entire department should be established to handle such affairs. It’s no secret that those businesses that make this a priority are the businesses that continue to thrive year to year.

What are strategies that may be employed to help companies retain their customers? First of all, it is important to understand the customer. Know the customers’ demographics: age, gender, salary, preferences that pertain to the product being marketed, etc.

How does the customer identify with the company? Higher levels of loyalty are common with higher levels of identity with an organisation. Another strategy is to learn more about the customer by utilising surveys or other forms of feedback. Customers that indicate high levels of satisfaction with a particular organisation or product are apt to continue utilising that company’s services or products.

Perhaps the number one indicator of good customer service is the level of trust the customer has toward the company.

Indicators of customer service quality include the following:

• How do employees respond to customer inquiries?
• Is the company’s mission properly communicated to customers and is that mission honoured?
• Does the company engage in two-way communications with customers?

Customer inquiries and communication may take place on company social media websites. Nowadays, successful businesses clearly communicate their values and mission statement via social media and customers do respond accordingly. Everyone wants to feel like they have a stake in something, and customers are no different. The moral of the story is this: excellent customer service can determine a company’s success or failure.