If you have worked in our company for long then you should know the emphasis our organization places on providing great customer service. In our quarterly manager meetings we head up every agenda with the topic. On our company blog we routinely stress the powerful benefits of superior customer service. And, hopefully your managers and area managers drill the importance of customer service immediately after your hiring.
I was scanning through some business websites the other day and someone had posted the Wikipedia definition of customer service. As soon as I read it I knew I had my blog post for today.
Taken from Wikipedia:
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. According to Turban et al. (2002), “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.”
The importance of customer service may vary by product or service, industry and customer. The perception of success of such interactions will be dependent on employees “who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest,” according to Micah Solomon. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization’s ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. A customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer has of the organization.
Just in case you missed it, I would reread the last sentence again. Have a great week everybody! — Luke
“A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.” Chinese Proverb