How to Create a Customer Service Plan

Improve customer satisfaction.

A customer service plan is created by businesses to evaluate their abilities. Used to show their strengths and weaknesses, the plan incorporates customer requests and complaints to better their service and improve experiences of future customers. By gathering such information, businesses learn about areas at which they excel -- as well as ones where they may be struggling.

Instructions

Learn to Satisfy Your Customers

1. 

   Select a representative of customer service.

   Assign a customer representative to maintain customer satisfaction. Use a database or company-owned program to keep records of requests and complaints made by customers. Specify problems at hand when entering information and explain how it has been resolved. Immediately reply to customer complaints and requests; cooperation and efficiency to resolve issues could save money in the long run. Follow up on cases and keep managers involved to avoid further complications.

2. 

   Get employee point of view.

   Do a self-assessment survey. Create an internal survey to get feedback from the employees. Survey people of all positions, departments and years of service. This will provide an unbiased opinion and give insight into areas lacking in customer service. Ask questions about maintaining customer satisfaction, citing examples of customer complaints, monetary disputes or difficult shoppers. Employers should note areas of weakness and strength in customer service.

3. 

   Have shoppers take a survey.

   Talk to the customers. Use surveys to gather information from customers about their overall shopping experience. Ask questions about staff, produce and ease of shopping. Make surveys easy to answer and avoid restating things. Format them in a ranking system and offer surveys in both Spanish and English.

4. 

   Keep customers happy.

   Interact with customers daily to gain a sense of their needs. Ask common questions regarding the customer's overall experience. Open-ended questions like: "How often do you shop here?" and "What are you looking for today?" provide information on departments and items that are drawing customers in. Use information to create a list of changes needed on a company-wide basis.

5. 

   Discuss customer issues.

   Form a committee geared toward customer service. Meet regularly to discuss problems and find ways to better serve customers. Prevent problems from reoccurring by reviewing complaints and noting any common links, such as departments, employees or overall areas of the store. Keep employees informed, and speak with someone if they are being recorded. Evaluate surveys and update the store accordingly. Administer surveys again to see if customers are better satisfied, considering the changes the company has made.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask people of various ages, gender and race to givet input.

• Hire and keep quality workers.

• Recognize and reward workers who excel.

• Do not be pushy when asking customer to take a survey.

• Do not overstate or repeat questions.

References

• Customer Service: City of Laredo Customer Service Plan
• Office of Management Assessment:: NIH Customer Service Plan
• Entrepreneur : 5 Best Customer Service Ideas