technology trends 2010

fupkoca

Posted by Editor on May 27, 2011 in Customer Service | 2 comments

The Real Meaning of Customer Service

The Real Meaning of Customer Service

Free Online Articles Directory

Why Submit Articles?
Top Authors
Top Articles
FAQ
ABAnswers

Publish Article

0 && $ .browser.msie ) {
var ie_version = parseInt($ .browser.version);
if(ie_version Login

Login via

Register
Hello
My Home
Sign Out

Email

Password

Remember me?
Lost Password?

Home Page > Business > Customer Service > The Real Meaning of Customer Service

Categories
AdvertisingArts & EntertainmentAutomotiveBeautyBusinessCareersComputersEducationFinanceFood and BeverageHealthHobbiesHome and FamilyHome ImprovementInternetLawMarketingNews and SocietyRelationshipsSelf ImprovementShoppingSpiritualitySports and FitnessTechnologyTravelWriting

]]>

The Real Meaning of Customer Service

By: Stephen Milford
Posted: Nov 18, 2008
Views: 9,643
Comments: [1]

What is customer service? Have you ever stopped to really think about this question? We have trained literally thousands of people and hundreds of organisations in customer service. No matter who the person or what the organisation, the answer to this question is always generic. They will say: ?Customer service is about giving customers what they want? or perhaps ?it?s about satisfying customers? some times they will say that it is about ?making customers happy.?

While at first glance these answers may sound correct, nothing could be further from the truth. Say for example that you ran a restaurant. If a customer were to enter your restaurant and ask for some office supplies would you be able to give the customer what they want? Would you be able to satisfy a customer who was looking for some jewellery if you worked in a hardware store? No, it would be impossible. The best that you could do would be to politely tell the customer where they can go and get Jewry. Obviously, customer service is not about giving customers what they want, or even satisfying customers.

The same is true for the way we give customer service. When we ask the question: what is the most important thing for good customer service, almost everyone we ask will answer: smile. While this may be good in some cases it is not appropriate in all cases. Just imagine if a distressed mother came up to you and told you that she had lost her 2 year old child in your store. Imagine how she would respond if you were to smile at her? Or imagine if a customer told you that he/she slipped while climbing the stairs or escalator in your store and as they explained their excruciating injuries you smiled back at them.

Read more articles
Customer Service Training
Customer Service Principles
Is it Time to Re-evaluate How Effective Your Customer Service Really Is?
Outsourcing helps a leading utilities company deliver superior customer service

The truth is that customer service is not about practicalities, it?s about principles. The practicalities may change but the principles stay the same. Staff are not meant to smile all the time, to give customers everything they want, or to satisfy all their needs. Staff are meant to promote the organisation and its values. If you want to increase the impact of your customer service teach staff to represent your organisation and its unique traits.

When we teach customer service training modules we first focus on what the organisation values, what it?s all about and what does it want customers to see. Once we have done this, we move on to how to serve in light of these values. This is a very easy way of getting staff to change the way they serve, it produces better results and is a lot more fun to teach.

Here is something you can do to help your staff engage in effective customer service. Take a black/white board and draw a very basic house. Ask staff to take a piece of chalk or the white board marker and to take turns to turn this basic house into your organisation/company. They may add pictures or words to the basic drawing. Some will add words like: quality, professionalism, friendliness, service, money, speed, or simplicity while others may draw things like customers and staff.

Now ask staff this simple question: in light of this picture, what does a good customer service representative do? The participants will now find it easy to see what customer service is really about in your organisation. They may say for example, in light of us being a friendly company we should smile. Or perhaps they will highlight the organisation?s professionalism and explain that it?s professional to stand up straight and to dress appropriately.

Instead of teaching staff practicalities teach them principles and the practicalities will follow naturally.

We have a free, 2 hour course which you can download and run with your staff to help them improve their customer service, just visit www.griffin.ie.

Stephen Milford ? About the Author:

Stephen Milford works with Griffin Training as a trainer and client manager. He has taught literaly thousands of people through hundreds of organisations across three different countries.visit www.griffin.ie for more about Stephen Milford.

Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/customer-service-articles/the-real-meaning-of-customer-service-647310.html

]]>

Increase your traffic today just by submitting articles with us, click here to get started.

Liked this article? Click here to publish it on your website or blog, it?s free and easy!

Rate this Article

1
2
3
4
5

vote(s)
0 vote(s)

Feedback
Print

0) {
ch_selected = Math.floor(Math.random()*ch_queries.length);
if(ch_selected == ch_queries.length) ch_selected?;
ch_query = ch_queries[ch_selected];
}
}catch(e){
ch_query = document.title;
}
]]>

Article Tags:
customer service

Latest Customer Service Articles

20th Century Breakthrough

The 20th Century served as man?s starting point of a modern conquest for knowledge. Technology that we enjoy and hate today started during this period. Here the five of the most important invention of man.

By: Andrew Beene