Customer Service

Customer Service

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  Customer Service
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  What is CustomerService? Customer service = the way organisations look after their customers
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  Customer Service isImportant • Part of the package of benefits that a customer buys – i.e. part of marketing mix • Provides a way to differentiate a product • Helps keep customers & win new ones • Makes customers feel valued • Important source of customer feedback • It helps attract and retain good quality employees
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  The Link withQuality Quality Customer Service Products and The way a services that meet business looks customer needs after customers and wants
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  Competition is HeatingUp! • Businesses can’t be complacent about their customers • E-commerce and email marketing - businesses can reach customers 24/7 • Technology allows products to meet individual customer needs more closely • Increasing customer confidence in complaining!
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  Roles for CustomerService • Presenting an appropriate image of the organisation • Ensuring that customer needs are met • Providing information & advice • Taking messages & keeping records • Providing assistance • Dealing with problems & handling complaints
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  Many Contacts withthe Customer • When a customer is enquiring about the product • Taking a customer order or payment • Delivering a product • When handling a complaint or problem • When making repairs or doing maintenance • Providing after-sales care
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  How Customers aredifferent • Individual v groups • Age & gender • Cultural & ethic backgrounds • Language • Technical knowledge • Income
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  What Do CustomersNeed? • Safety and security • Clear and accurate information • Rights to be upheld • Impartiality and objectivity • Complaint, enquiry and suggestion procedures • Cater for special needs • Ethical delivery
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  Types of CustomerFeedback • Positive Feedback – Information from satisfied customers – Confirms business is doing something right / well – Encourages & motivates staff • Negative Feedback – Information from unhappy customers – Vital indicator about what may need to be done to gain and keep hold of customers – Often obtained from customer complaints – It is often said that the worst customer is an unhappy customer who doesn’t tell you about it
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  How to encouragecustomers to complain • Make it easy to complain: e.g. free phone number; complaint forms • Customer service feedback forms • Train staff to listen carefully / look for problems • Reward customer feedback with incentives (e.g. discounts, special offers, entry into prize draws) • Thank customers when they submit complaints
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  Handling Customer Complaints •No matter how good the product, or the level of customer service, complaints happen! • Complaints should be dealt with… – Quickly – Efficiently – In the same way (consistently) • Objectives for dealing with complaints – Try to restore customer satisfaction – Try to maintain customer loyalty – Behave in a way that develops the business reputation for being fair but sensible
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  Top 10 CustomerComplaints No Complaint 1 Being kept on hold for excessive lengths of time, while being told repeatedly how much the organisation values their custom 2 Organisations which ignore basic consumer rights, e.g. taking back faulty goods and being refused a refund and told to change it for another product 3 Battling bureaucracy to resolve a problem. Staff should be empowered to tackle complaints immediately 4 Rude or over-friendly staff - both extremes can make customers feel uncomfortable 5 Anonymous staff who refuse to give their names 6 Broken promises - businesses should not make promises to customers which they cannot honour 7 Inflexible delivery times - businesses which refuse to deliver beyond a narrow, fixed time, or at weekends 8 Lack of customer-friendly complaints handling systems - if it is difficult to complain, most people will not bother. They will simply take their business elsewhere 9 Premium rate advice lines. It would be better to provide a Free phone numbers 10 No human voices on the telephone - mechanised systems which take customers through a lengthy process only to deliver them back to the beginning
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  Ways to KeepCustomers Happy Action Why Listen Listen to complaints and compliments. Don't be defensive – accept criticisms as they will highlight areas for improvement. Let customers know if you are acting on their suggestions Build trust Keep promises. Deliver when you say you will. If things go wrong put them right quickly Take complaints Don't be dismissive or patronising. Have a customer friendly system for seriously dealing with complaints so that if things go wrong, staff are easily accessible to put things right Get it right first Saves you time and money if customers are handled well from the time outset Make the most of Invest in training. Value them. Empower them to deal quickly with your staff complaints. This will build morale and happy staff lead to happy customers Go the extra mile A willingness to delight customers is what separates the best from the rest Put yourself in Would you be delighted by the service you receive? Would you do the customer’s business with you? shoes
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  Mystery Shopping • Methodof market research • Mystery shoppers hired to test customer service levels – Transactions – Quality of service – After-sales – Store ambience • Powerful feedback if properly organised
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  Test Your Understanding http://www.tutor2u.net/business/quiz/customerservice/quiz.html
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  Customer Service