What Is Effective Customer Service?

Whether you are in corporate industry, in a small- to medium-sized business or working as an employee elsewhere, providing quality and effective customer service is the heart of the success of your job and your business. Offering exceptionally good customer service is a crucial aspect of a fruitful interaction that leads to the growth of your industry.

The Customer

Also called the buyer or client, the customer is the person or group of people who purchase your products and services. A customer does not only refer to a single individual, but also retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers among others. Commonly depicted as the one “who is always right." they go to a shop or boutique in search for a need or want. They are the most important aspect of the business because without them, the business would simply not exist.

Building Rapport

The initial step to effective customer service is building a harmonious interaction. Learning some details about the person creates an immediate source of something to talk about. Your eye contact, your sincere smile and even dressing smartly and appropriately are simple ways of showing interest in providing what your customer needs. Making them feel at ease allows them to speak up more about what product or service they need. The ultimate goal for businessmen and their employees is to make their business seem "customized" to each individual customer.

Customer Experience

The term 'customer experience' refers to the totality of experiences a consumer or customer has with products and services within a length of time. The customer may have been using the same product under a different brand and may not be satisfied with it. The brand they are currently using creates a certain impression of the total customer service that said brand provides. It is important for a businessman to address the customer needs and win a buyer’s trust towards your product by emphasizing your product’s best features.

Knowing and Creating the Need

Creating the need is most vital when you want customers to buy your product. No matter how great the service or your product is, no one will still purchase it if they do not find the need to buy it. Proving that the need of buying your products exists helps you get closer to total success. Winning your business against a sea of competitors is the main challenge for every entrepreneur and his employees.

Customer Satisfaction

This is all about measuring if the products and services rendered meet the customer needs and expectations. Suggestion boxes, opening a phone line for your consumers or simply asking the customer for feedback are some ways to gauge the level of satisfaction they have on your products. These evaluation measures are done to retain current clients who are pleased with your services and provide an avenue to further improve your management system to attract more customers.

References

• BNET Business Dictionary: Business Definition for Customer
• Hodu: The Secret to Building Rapport
• "MIT Sloan Management Review"; Managing the Total Customer Experience; Leonard L Berry, Lewis P. Carbone and Stephan H. Haeckel; Spring 2002
• Business Link: Know Your Customers’ Needs
• Center for the Study of Social Policy: Customer Satisfaction

Resources

• King Saud University Faculty: Customer Satisfaction