Introduction
Customer service refers to the service rendered by the representatives of a company to the customers. Customer service helps maintain customer relationships. A one-on-one relation with customers wins the confidence and increases the business from existing customers. Goods sold over retail counters need the facility of customer service for maintenance and repairs.
Understanding Customer Service
The customer service staff represents the face of the company to its customers. Most companies do not meet their customers face to face to get to know their customers’ loyalty and preferences. Customer service staff deal face-to-face with customers and advertise and sell the product or service to prospective customers. They obtain feedback from customers about the experience of using the product or service and areas for improvement.
Customer service requires the staff to be well-versed with the features of the product and attentive to the customer. Additionally, the staff must also be polite and responsive to customers. The interaction and help offered to customers make or break the customer relationship. Many companies offer 24-hour customer support service.
Good customer service requires that there should be minimum steps between the customer’s complaint and the end solution for the customer. The complaint must be attended to in a minimum time or the least waiting time. Customers should not be made to wait in long queues. The customer service representatives should be able to close the compliant in a single window.
Customer service caters to different matters, such as net banking, credit card services, and other requests, and may require call transfers to other departments. In such cases, the customer representative should follow up and ensure that the complaint is resolved.
In many cases, basic services are provided through automated machines, such as bank ATM. The ATM allows updating certain details without the need for a customer representative.
Conclusion
Customer service is an essential part of the overall business strategy and for maintaining the market share for any company. Poor service can result in shifting of customers to competitors and loss of business. Customers generally enquire about the after-sales service while researching about any product or service. Human interaction builds rapport with customers or potential customers.
