Customer Service and Enhancing Sales

Customer service, for many organizations, is the cornerstone of the business. A customer service process that is effective can be the foundation for a strong and successful business, stimulating sales and increasing margins. Unfortunately, a poor and ineffective customer service process can result in the collapse of the foundation and business failure.

Customer service processes are the activities involved with customer inquiries. Customer service involves all the actions related to customers reaching the correct contacts and receiving quick, satisfactory responses to questions and resolutions of problems. The entire customer service process should be designed to make it simple and easy for customers to contact and deal with the organization.

Key features of a successful customer service program includes:

According to Philip Kotler, customer service is a core business process, involving cross- functional inputs and requiring coordination among various business departments within an organization. It is common for business departments within an organization, however, to focus strictly on department interests, activities and performance at the expense of the company and customers. Each department ignores the cooperation necessary to deliver valued customer service. Without coordination and focus on the core process of customer service, business will suffer severely.

Successful companies recognize the value of a strong customer service process and effectively manage the process. Business goals and customers are not sacrificed for the sake of department initiatives and performance. A coordinated and cooperative effort is achieved by emphasizing the business process.

For small business owners and operations, the process of customer service cannot be ignored. Many consumers look to small business for exemplary customer service because of the size of the organization. Customers of small businesses often set higher standards and expectations for services provided by these businesses. It is important for small business owners and managers to understand customer expectations and develop a customer service process to meet these expectations. Knowing what the customer expects is a critical step to delivering quality customer service.

How can a small business excel in customer service? The critical step, as noted above, is to understand customer expectations and desires for service levels. Consistent customer communication and feedback are important factors for devising quality customer service programs. The customer must have regular input to improve the service process and meet their needs. Service delivery, complaint handling, customer inquiries, follow-up and other modes of customer contact will be improved through customer insight. In addition, small businesses must realize that superior customer service can be a source of differentiation and advantage against large and small competitors.

Consistent customer communication, monitoring and response will result in customer satisfaction. Customer relationships will develop, further enhancing the value of the business, the service and the products. Due to their size, small businesses have the ability to excel at customer knowledge, personalized services, creating relationships and developing customer loyalty. Businesses that succeed in this area must meet and exceed desired customer service levels defined by the customer. A consistent customer feedback loop is necessary for this to occur.

Employees must understand defined customer service initiatives and be rewarded for delivering exceptional customer service. Employee roles, responsibilities, education, teamwork, performance standards and rewards are important factors when striving for superior customer service. The customer service process design must also include employee input. Most importantly, the customer contact personnel can provide valuable input on enhancing customer service.

Over 400 web sites were searched via multiple search engines. The five best web sites related to the customer service process are:

Consumer Logic-- http://sam.serix.com/logic.htm: This organization provides innovations in customer service by providing consulting and ideas that delight customers and create customer loyalty. The site includes newsletters and services provided that enhance customer service.

Consultants Mall-- http://www.consultants-mall.com/cust-svc.htm This web site provides various links to consulting firms specializing in the customer service process. Training, ideas for improvement and protocol are all discussed, with an emphasis towards telemarketing.

RCS Performance Consulting-- http://www.rcsintl.com.au/servqual.htm RCS provides a wide range of consulting services that builds quality into customer service. RCS emphasizes the relationship and process approach, building an integrated network within an organization to successfully service and retain customers. Their philosophy is described in the web site.

Solutions Provided-- http://www.solutionsprovided.com/flagship.htm Solutions Provided is a service excellence consulting firm that provides various seminars for business organizations. The web site provides some customer service insight and describes the service topics featured in the seminars.

SmartBiz--http://www.smartbiz.com/sbs/arts/sss1.htm SmartBiz is an excellent source for various authors and their expert advice on customer service. Over thirty documents exist on this web site that discuss various customer service topics. The articles are relevant and helpful with customer service issues.