What Is the Philosophy of Customer Service?

There is more to a customer service philosophy than a friendly smile.

There is no single philosophy of customer service that is adopted by all businesses across all industries and services. Rather, there are various set of practices unified by a belief that customers' satisfaction enhances a business's prospect of achieving its goals. Common patterns, however, offer some basic principles of customer service. The specifics can vary greatly, for example between a financial services company dealing with remote clients to a hotel or restaurant providing face-to-face hospitality to guests. Large corporations may have service teams exclusively devoted to this issue.

Accessibility

Accessibility is key.

The philosophical foundation on which customer service must be based is accessibility. Whether in person, by telephone, or by email, customers must be able to contact staff when assistance is needed, and be sure of a timely response. If staff are unable to assist a customer immediately, whether because of a line at the reception desk or a queue of calls waiting, make some acknowledgment of the waiting customer. Telephone queues are made more bearable by informative and accurate recorded messages (if the message states that a call will be answered within two minutes, it is counter-productive if it goes unanswered for five). Similarly, if queries or complaints cannot immediately be answered, receipt should be promptly acknowledged.

Accountability

Customers can be frustrated if a business or service offers, or even promises, to complete a task but fails to do so. Staff should not make undertakings which cannot be met, such as securing a hotel room when the property is fully booked. It reassures customers if the member of staff provides his name, verbally or through wearing a name tag. This helps confirm to both staff and customer that there is accountability if a promise or undertaking is not met. The philosophical principle is that the customer should not feel that she is dealing with a nameless, faceless corporate entity, where nobody can be held to account for failings.

Responsiveness to Problems

Attentive responses to complaints are important.

Customer service begins with providing a positive experience, but its philosophy must incorporate willingness to respond to negative situations. There are two basic elements to the response. The first acknowledges the problem and--where appropriate--makes apology for it. The second seeks to correct the problem. Good customer service takes ownership of complaints and problems. There may be a philosophical difference on the extent of recompense which should be offered. It may be sufficient to replace or repair damaged items, by replacing badly cooked food or by refunding inappropriate charges. A more generous philosophy would make extra recompense, by offering some additional benefit or service in acknowledgment of the inconvenience or distress caused.

General Helpfulness

Many customer service philosophies go beyond the provision of a positive experience within the terms of the goods or services purchased by the customer, proposing that customers should be provided with additional, wide-ranging assistance. Staff assisting a visiting customer with a purchase might also make recommendations on request about local amenities, or offer to assist the customer in ways not related to the purchase. If unable to assist, staff members may direct the customer to other sources of help, including providing telephone numbers or web addresses. Individual businesses will vary as to the extent of such helpfulness they wish their staff to provide.

Training and Monitoring

Extra benefits can sometimes be offered.

The context for an effective customer service philosophy is staff training. In addition to training staff in the provision of the goods and services expected by customers or guests, staff members must demonstrate courtesy, sincerity and attentiveness, especially in listening to and answering individual customers rather than giving generalized responses. A sophisticated approach to customer service also requires monitoring outcome. Simple surveys are one way of assessing customer satisfaction; another is measuring the extent of repeat business.

References

• "Customer Care Excellence"; Sarah Cook; 2008
• "Customer Service: A Practical Approach"; Elaine K. Harris; 2000