Customer Service in the Largest Telecommunications Companies in the Sultanate of Oman - Case Study Example

?Table of Contents Introduction 2 Literature Review 3 Conclusion 8 Research recommendation 8 References 10 PROGRESS REPORT 12 Introduction/Purpose: 12 Problems Encountered 13 Conclusion 14 Introduction According to Van (1999), harmonizing any successful organizations with customer service commitment, which often begins at the top, includes the organization’s leaders taking into account the needs of meeting customer expectations as well as striving to supersede the customer expectations. Therefore, leaders of successful businesses face the challenge of developing company culture that comprehends, clinches on and implements this notion. David (1994) confirmed that customer care service cannot always agree to a request from a customer since there are instances where customer care agents may find it necessary; for instance, when requests from a customer contravene the law. The current global business atmosphere presents a very competitive atmosphere than it has ever been. Therefore, if an organization is unable to offer goods or services when clients need them then there are other multiple companies instantly ready to rise and fill the void. Organizations have only one opportunity to make their first impression; however, when business leaders fail to clinch onto this fact or remain unwilling to offer appropriate resources for meeting the needs of customers, then the organizations are prone to finding themselves struggling for business. According to James (2000), quality is customer’s general view regarding the relative strength or weakness of service; hence, customer satisfaction relies on experiences of personal service transactions and opinions regarding the general service accorded. Therefore, prior experience by a customer can significantly increase or diminish the level of customer expectation; therefore, the largest Oman telecommunication companies have an opportunity for improving their value by the way they present customer care. The research objective for the project is the evaluation of the customer service within the main telecommunications businesses in Oman. Literature Review According to Robin (2007), as a part of making sure customer services is enhanced, it is very essential for companies to see the degree to which their own goods or services gratify the customers. Berry Moller (2006) established that organizations in both service and manufacturing industries seek to be in good terms with customers with regard to customer care; therefore, the organizations introduce service innovations in order to develop value and remain competitive. Relationship value is essential, and can be gained by offering the best services such as customer care together with relationship quality among others that are able show strong impact on satisfaction (Michel & Gallan, 2008). According to Koumar (2008), measure of sales, the number of people in relation to them taking into account other services such as technical ability, knowledge, as well as pricing requirements may establish strength of relations with customers. According to Brose (2008), the pace of response, the rates of customer contact as well as the scale of cooperation among others are considered as one of the most necessary services a client can anticipate for from a vendor. Paul (2008) stated that people who possess positive experiences in corporations’ customer service department are likely to inform two or three other people regarding the experience, as Consumer Affairs website successfully established; therefore, superior quality customer service serves as a source of endorsement for organizations. According to Rogers (2003), 82% of customers move from one company to another because of customer service issue; therefore, if this is anything to go by, then offering superior quality customer service ought to be taken seriously by all businesses including the largest telecommunication companies in Oman. An exemplary customer service acts as an essential value-added service to businesses in an attempt of offering customers of any organization an excellent experience from the company products and services. Thus, superior, quality customer experience plays an essential role in determining customer preferences, which lead customers to choose different companies regardless of whether the companies offer low prices for the service or product. John (2003) reveals that a business deal should not terminate when a client purchases a product because for businesses that offer many and diverse products or services, the chances of the same customer returning back and purchasing another product or service are high. Therefore, customer service comes in handy in this area and offering quality customer care ensures that the customer understands that the corporation really cares about him or her satisfaction and in return this impression develops an avenue for the individual to return over and over again. Maintaining current customers is much easier compared to persuading and finding new ones; nevertheless, providing customers with exemplary customer care quality offers the opportunity of locating, finding and retaining new customers in a business. However according to Graham and Roger (2004), in addition to the two central priorities, three minor priorities have also been established and they include local control, accountability as well as personalization choice. Customers in Oman expect the telecommunication companies in Oman to possess some measure of local control, which would ensure that local service providers are capable of responding to the needs of the communities. There are expectations in Oman of flexibility in making decisions at the local level nevertheless standards of fairness and quality ought to be set at the national level. Moreover, according to Milgrom and Roberts (2005), outstanding customer care helps an organization in developing and increasing its customer count. For instance, a single, satisfied client is able to attract many more customers to a business entity and at times customers could be more effective compared to other forms of advertisement since a satisfied customer is a more trusted source in comparison to impersonal adverts. Individuals who never purchase products from certain companies are also vulnerable to the enticement when they take notice of extraordinary customer treatments as well as great customer contentment. For employees together with staff that offer quality customer service, the undertaking could result in a gratifying experience. In addition, Beardwell and Holden (2003) showed that customer service deals with company issues within stores through the phone as well as via the email. Businesses that manufacture highly technical goods such as software or even satellite television usually have staff for technical support in order to resolve any challenges. Therefore, customer service is an essential component to organizations for various reasons among them resolving any complaints from customers. For instance, it is a huge challenge for any company to survive without involvement customer service, because it simply means there would never be anyone available to handle customers, payments or even answer queries from prospective clients. According to Greve (2007), customer service plays significant role within organizations since it often remains to be the only interface between a customer and the company or business with which the customer is interested in doing business with. To any business, customers remain the single most essential element to an organization; because some customers spend hundreds to thousands of dollars within a year in a single company. Therefore, when the customers have queries or product issues, they anticipate that the company owns a customer service department capable of handling and resolving the issues. Hiatt (2006) established that any business organization that offers excellent customer service has more chances of obtaining continuous business from clients, which consequently benefit the company with improved sales and profits. On the other hand, companies endowed with poor customer service face the risk of losing some of its values clients, which consequently has a negative influence upon the business. On average, it is expensive for a business to locate and acquire a customer when compared to retaining a customer owing to the costs of advertising as well as the expenses of making sales calls. Thus, all the energy that goes into sustaining quality customer service offers the opportunity of realizing dividends with time. Poup gotua (2007) confirmed a proven fact that establishes that customers repeatedly engage in business with corporations that offer excellent service to customers. Thus, it is no surprise various organizations indulge themselves in focusing attention to customer service support because it remains a viable means for gaining instant appreciation as well as enticing prospective customers. According to Bell (2007), customer service presents itself as a fast and effective marketing means where many business corporations endeavour to perfect. In a current study that was performed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB), small and medium enterprises that were committed to customer service support were likely to survive and progress in comparison to the leading counterparts and competitors that aimed only on offering low charges for goods and services. However, according to Burke (2005), businesses ought to recruit accomplished customer service representatives (CSR) who possess proven skill within the field. The employees are compelled to gain repeated training throughout the employees’ employment in the company as a way of solidifying their understanding as well as interpersonal skills. Employing capable customer service staff remains crucial for any business enterprise since they have experience, are trained and key to the continual interaction with and obtaining response from the customers. According to Ross (2005), various business entities impose automated sales procedure for clients who buy goods or services online. Therefore, the clients receive automatic e-mails concerning the purchase receipt as well as when the purchased product will be dispatched. The customers are able to able to track delivery of the package by a shipping confirmation number and get notified in case of any delay during the delivery of the products. Hence, this service has evolved to be one of the various courtesies all clients have come to anticipate from any business. Nevertheless, Bradford and Tom (2005) showed that in attempting to speed up any inquiries, various corporations provide clients with wide-ranging FAQ page available on the business website. The procedure proves to be helpful to customers since they save time regarding any questions customers may have because the company website eases the process of gaining information. For instance, usual business FAQ page often provide information on the various forms of shipping accompanied by their costs. Moreover, FAQ page also contains information regarding company products, company hours of business, business address and phone number. Jenny (2005) demonstrated another advantageous approach that involves support forums as well as instantaneous feedbacks found on company websites. For instance, websites like the Home Shopping Network (HSN) offer clients with the opportunity of rating and reviewing the company products. When businesses use similar tools, they are likely to enjoy the advantages of understanding both the likes and dislikes of their clients according to the customer ratings. On the other hand, customers are able to publicly post their thoughts regarding the different products or services and even make recommendations to the company. According to Michael (2006), if existing customers get satisfied with company products as well as the service quality offered to customers, the satisfied customers are highly likely to inform different people of the encouraging experiences. Frequently, most of the “referred” customers endorse the experience thus highly likely transact with the company they were referred to by their friends because the friends spoke highly about the company. Therefore, it is key for businesses to effectively connect in this way and to take care of their accessible customers exceptionally in order to achieve credibility and boost both return and future customers. Most often, loyal customers are able make suggestions on improvements on certain products or services moreover they can ask for fresh services. Conclusion There are diverse differences in the services offered by telecommunication corporations in Oman however with respect to the services given; the research indicates that both telecommunication companies within Oman are offering excellent services to clients. According to Reyna (1999), staff who perceives to be unfairly treated often deal with their clients in the similar way; thus, the quality of service as well as the reputation of the business gets affected. Regardless of the feelings, the staff often tries their best to gratify the needs of clients as well as keeping the clients satisfied all the time in accordance with their expectations as well as going beyond the expectations of the client. Each instance, the products and services provided by staff are often improved and developed versions of the previous services or products. The two companies work according to the adage “customer satisfaction is our goal”, while working to attain the objectives of customer satisfaction as well as their objectives of maximizing profit as well as the wealth of the shareholders. Therefore, the meticulous hard work of the companies in achieving their goals, have helped the companies attain the best spot in the market with brilliant vision and successful future. Research recommendation Considering the way employees perceive themselves in their homes, if they conduct themselves that way as staff of companies then they will satisfy the company clients’ needs. References Aberbach, Joel 2008, In the Web of Politics. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. Belly 2006. Organization Development: Strategies and Models, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. Michael 2006. “Strategic Organizational Change, Second Edition.” Practitioner Press International. Bradford, D.L. & Burke, W.W.(eds), 2005, Reinventing Organization Development. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Robbins, 2007, (Human Resource Management), Written Permission, America. Ghoshal, S., P. Moran, and C. A. Bartlett (2008): Employment Security, Employability and Sustainable Competitive Advantage,” in Strategy, BRAWN (2007): The German cooperative banking group as a strategic network: function and performance,” Arbeitspapiere des Instituts fAur Genossenschaftswe-sen der Universitaat Maunster. Hans . ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and the Community, Learnng Center Publications, Loveland, CO. HT Graham and Roger Bennet, 2004, (Human Resource Management), Financial Times Pitman Published, Britain. Raul E. 2005. On Death and Dying, Macmillan Company, England. Lan Beardwell and Len Holden, 2003, (Human Resource Management), Pitman Published, Britain. Light, Paul C, 2008, Thickening Government: Federal Hierarchy and the Diffusion of Accountability. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. Terry (2003) Diffusion Of Innovation, New York: Free Press. Paul D. A. (2003) Beyond the Stable State. Public and private learning in a changing society, Harmondsworth: Penguin. Andreas Herrmann and Stephan C. welly   (2007) Measuring Customer Value and Satisfaction in Services Transactions, Scale Development, Validation and Cross-Cultural Comparison, International Journal of Consumer Studies, Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 554-564, Barney, Jay (1991), Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage, Journal of Management, 17 (1), 99-120. Bitner, Mary Jo, Amy L. Ostrom, and Felicia N. Morgan (2008), ?Service Blueprinting: A Practical Technique for Service Innovation, California Management Review, 50 -94. Michel, Stefan, Stephen W. Brown, and Andrew rony (2008), ?Service-Logic Innovations: How to Innovate Customers, Not Products, California Management Review, 49-65. Milgrom, P., and J. Roberts (2005): The Economics of Modern Manufacturing: Technology, Strategy and Organization,” American Economic Review, 80(3). Vol. 5, pp. 144 Organization and the Changing Nature of Work, ed. by J. suasan, and J. Ricart, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham. Vol, 2, pp. 152 Rajgopal (2008), Effects of customer service efficiency and market effectiveness on dealer performance. Working paper 2008-02- MKT , ITESM, Mexico. Worren, N. A. M.; Ruddle, K.; and K. Vivian 2005. “From Organizational Development to Change Management: The Emergence of a New Profession,” The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. 35 (3). Vol, 2, pp. 183 PROGRESS REPORT To: From: ID. No: Date: (From March 17-2013 – June 10, 2013) Subject: Progress Report on Study of Customer Service in the Largest Telecommunications Companies in the Sultanate of Oman) (From March 17th, 2013 to June 10th 2013) Introduction/Purpose: The purpose of this project: Is to assess customer service of the largest telecommunication corporations in Oman. The researcher came up with the topic owing to the impact of customer service on satisfaction of customers as well as the survival of any business. Customer satisfaction offers the best method for measuring success of any business organization; nevertheless, the report deals with progress for the period between March 17th, 2013 to June 10th 2013. Work completed from 17th March 2013 to 15th April, 2013: First, the researcher embarked on the topic of assignment after it got approval from the tutor after which the researcher began the procedure of collecting data from secondary sources like books, journals and websites. After obtaining the data, the researcher began with introduction and finished the study in two days following some modifications from the lecturer. Immediately, after that researcher came up with seven literature reviews and obtaining permission from the lecturer proceeded to the next stage of the study. Work completed from 16th April 2013 to 15th May, 2013: After finishing the introduction as well as some literature reviews during the previous stage, the researcher dedicated time in May to deal with the remaining literature reviews that paved way for the conclusion, in which the researcher showed great effort incoming up with a good and suitable literature reviews. The researcher searched like: Human Resource Management, Employability and Sustainable Competitive Advantage, Diffusion of Innovation and Strategic Organizational Change among others. In my opinion, after the researcher completed literature reviews, he embarked on writing a conclusion based on the study, which was very easy since the researcher managed to summarize what he embarked to write about. After, completing the previous sections, then the researcher scrutinized everything with the tutor prior to proceeding to the next stage. Work completed from 16th May, 2013 to 10th June, 2013: After completing the introduction part as well as twenty literature reviews, the researcher embarked on listing the references which were used in setting up the project and from the reference section, it is clear that the researcher applied the Harvard system of referencing. The references for the project are a combination of 14 books and 8 journals; besides, the researcher expects to terminate the project fully before June 20, 2013. Problems Encountered The first challenging as well as delicate issue the researcher faced setting up the project was deciding an appropriate topic for the study. The other problems and challenges the researcher faced is restricted to the gathering of data and information from customers regarding their opinion concerning the two large telecommunication corporations in Oman. Nevertheless, the researcher had some difficulty in deciding the literature reviews that are precise and accurate in meeting the project topic, which seems to be a result of customer service as well as satisfaction that in a way intersect with several other management issues. Conclusion The research project is on schedule and should be submitted by 10th of June 2013 Signature Read More