The Role of the Customer Service - Essay Example

? THE ROLE OF A SERVICE of the School: Executive Summary Each and every organization has a customer service. This is one department without which the goals and objectives of an organization cannot be achieved. The role of the customer service in any organization is to make sure that the customers are provided by the services that they require in the organization before they get the service, when they get the service and after they get the service that they require. The customer service in all organizations should ensure that the customers of the organization are fully satisfied. In case the service does not meet the customer’s expectation, the customer service person should let the management know to ensure that next time, the customer will be satisfied. The importance or the need of a customer service varies by the product or service given by the organization or it evens depend on the customer or the industry. The employees who work as the customer service should be ready to adjust to each and every customer of the organization. Introduction As mentioned above, the customer service refers to the way that the customers of an organization are provided by the products that they require either before they buy, during the buying process and even after the buying process. With a customer service, an organization is able to generate a lot of revenue and income from the customers. There are other various reasons why many organizations have customer service. There are many organizations which take the customer service as a part of their systematic improvement since they realize the much improvement that it brings to the organization. Through customer service, many perceptions of the customers can be changed about the organization and this would lead to increase in sales. The paper provides a critical discussion and evaluating the customer service by the organization. The paper will also provide the expectations within the organization. The paper will also provide a close examination of variety of strategies which could be applied to the organization in delivering sustainable customer service excellence for ongoing competitive advantage. In addition, the paper provides recommendations of solutions which will help the organization sustain customer service excellence going forward. Current Customer Service and Expectations In the organization, one of the customer service given to the customers is the customer service. This is where the customer service attendants assist the customers in making the correct use of the products that they buy from the organization. With this, they help the customers to be cost effective in the usage of the product. The customer support service include giving the customer advice on the installation, how to maintain and also training the customer on the usage and disposal of the product once not in use http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/operations/the-importance-of-customer-service . Since the organization also deals with technology products, the customer service agents also give technical support to the customers on how to operate the mechanical and software products that they buy from the organization. The organization has realized that the customer service is an important factor in the marketing mix for both the services and the products. This is because high quality customer service assists the entire organization in creating loyalty with their customers. The organization has realized that many customers are not only concerned about the product that they buy from the organization but also the service that they get from the time they enter the organization to the time that they leave and also about how they complaints about the faults of the products are addressed (Turban 2002). It is true that the customer service bridge the gap between the company and the customers who are buying from the organization. It’s every customer’s expectation that the customer service in the organization is efficient, friendly and more also helpful. In this organization, the customer service agents are mandated with the role of educating the customers and also helping them resolve any problem that may be presented by the customer. In carrying out this role, the customer service agents are expected to be positive to the customers in order to give a positive impression to the customers of the organization (Overton 2002). The other role that the customer service agent plays in the organization is the updating of the customers information and carrying out changes in the customer’s account as per the customer’s request. The customer service agents also enter bill information and also they assist the customer in cancelling some of their accounts as per customer’s request. In this organization, the customer service agents are required to make sale on behalf of the organization. If she or he acts as sales representatives, the agents speak with each and every customer and through communication, she is able to identify their needs. The agents also give the customers the correct recommendations on the most appropriate product or service that the customer should buy (Leigh 2001). In this organization, the customer service agents also offer issue resolutions to the customer’s complaints. In this organization, the customer service agent must treat all the customers in respect since customers are assumed to be right always. The agent must identify the issues as first as possible and offer appropriate solutions to the customers and the solutions must comply with company’s laws and regulations. In case of serious issues, the agent should gather the relevant information and consult the manager. At the same time, the customer service agent should assure the customer that a solution is being worked and the problem would be addressed effectively. With all the roles discussed above of the customer service agent in the organization, the customer service agent in the organization is expected to perform some other duties in the organization. For example, the customer service agent is expected to seek out for revenue generating opportunities. While an agent is offering or selling the product to the customer, they should also offer them to buy some other products from the organization. They should listen actively to the customer’s need and also give clues which would lead future business. The agents are expected to communicate what they have discussed with their customers to the sales team in the organization (Fuchz 2001). In this organization, the customer service agents are expected to collect all the relevant and required data from the customer. The data may include the contact information of the customer, and all the information regarding the purchase history of the customer. The information is very crucial to the organization since it helps the marketing team of the organization (Paul 1998). The customer service agents are also expected to have the following skills, responsive, they should also be reliable and also respectful. The agents are also expected to satisfy each and every potential and existing customer so that at the end, the customers may have a pleasant experience in the organization. The agents are also expected to treat all the customers in a courteous manner by first greeting them and answering each and every question that they ask an efficient and pleasant manner (BBC news 2003). Strategies which would be applied Every organization has the hopes of improving its customer service in order to improve the overall image of the organization and also its performance. In this case, the organization has to come up with some strategies which would help it in achieving its goals. The following are the strategies which could be applied to the organization in delivering sustainable customer service excellence for the competitive advantage (Dall et al 2004). The first strategy that the company should come up is the recruitment and the training of the right people to serve as the customer service agents. People with the right attitude towards the customers should be chosen and then placed in training programmes where their people skills and job skills are perfected. There should be consideration of the formal customer service qualifications for all the staff in the organization. The other strategy is the staff retention. This contributes a lot towards the improvement of the customer service. When the agents are happy, they would also stay in the organization and they would also treat their customers well (Uttal et al 1989). The other strategy is the recognition of the importance of the customer loyalty. The good customers that the organization has should be retained. This is because, the loyal customers earns the organization a lot of profits. They also help in improving the products and services and they are also more likely to forgive the organization for some unavoidable mistakes (Luchtman 2002). The other strategy that should be applied is the leading from the tophttp://www.businessballs.com/customer_service.htm . The improvement and making the customer service right is always in the hands of the top management. The top managers should realize the importance of the customer service and also have a deep believe in the strategy. The management should be active and also lead the other employees by example. The other strategy that should be applied is the listening to the customers and also giving them feedback. The customers should regularly be listened to and also there should be the analyzing of the customers phone calls. There should also be suggestion schemes and feedback focus groups. The organization should also continuously use its own systems to make regular tests what their customers go through http://smallbusiness.chron.com/role-customer-service-agent-737.html . The other strategy that the organization should apply is the welcoming of the complaints. This is because the complaints offers a free market research and the organization should most welcome them. The organization should listen to each and every complaint. The organization should also use brilliant way to solve the complaints that they get. The organization should also stop the repetition of the complaints, and finally, the organization should learn from the complaints (National Museums 2005). Recommendations The first recommendation would be that the organization applies all the strategies discussed above. With the application of the above strategies, the organization will be in a position to achieve its goals and also expand its income generating opportunities. The other recommendation would be that the organization looks at its processes from both staff and customer point of view. The organization should not take an interview view only without the consideration of either the staff or the customer. All the steps in the whole process should benefit everyone and make life easier for everyone in the organization (Weingland 1997). The other recommendation that I would make is the wise utilization of tools such as the CRM and the contact centers. The tolls should be considered as an integral part which should always aim at improving the customer’s service in the organization. There though there may lack quick fixes, there can be quick wins. In addition, the organization should continuously measure its performance. It should make sure that the right things are measured and not the easy ones. I would recommend that the organization practice benchmarking as a way of measuring the success of the programme. The organization should also be ready to learn from other sectors which can be of mush benefit as compared to same sector comparison (Berry 1990). The other recommendation that I would make to the organization is the building of reputation. The customers and the staff in the organization should be fully involved since Excellency in customer service depends mainly on the agent’s skills for communicating with the customers. All the available resources in the organization should be utilized in order to come up with a coordinated strategy (Solomon 2010). Conclusion It is true that customer service in any given organization is the most crucial ingredient required in the marketing mix for both the services and the products. With the high quality service, there is creation of customer loyalty since today’s customers are not only interested in the product offered but also in other service elements that they are given when they buy a product. As mentioned above, customer service acts as a bridge between the company and the customer who is buying from the company. it is every customer’s expectation that the customer service of the organization that they buy from is helpful, efficient and friendly to each and every customer. 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