Services are simply defined as a wide group of economic activities which are not associated with goods manufacturing, agriculture or mining directly. The services involve typically human value provision which is in form of managerial skills, advice, labor, training, entertainment and intermediation. Customer service is a very critical area in business and it determines the company’s success in every level be it domestic or international. Customers are very sensitive to the way they are handled in any setting of organizations and their satisfaction in the service provision determines whether they will come back or seek for better services. It is therefore important for organizations and companies to provide high quality services to their clients In order to be more successful and maintain more customers in future.
Earliest Forms of Customer Service
In today’s world, types of customer service have highly and greatly advanced due to the innovation of new technology which has also made the service industry very competitive. Some of the past customer service methods included:
Direct Mail survey: This is a form of service which was used in early service providers. Direct mail survey was not a very essential method since in most cases it would take a lot of time and expense at the same time. This form of customer service also is estimated to yield low response compared to the modern customer service methods.
Direct Calls: is another form of customer service which was highly used by many businesses and organizations before technology brought new and easier means of providing service. It is also an expensive method which is used up to date by some organizations and businesses. The methods of providing service are expensive also and time consuming.
Factors Facilitating Shift in Service Economy
Liberalization: It is clear that international barriers of trade and investment are still the main obstacles to the global sector globalization. It is important to do away with these barriers in order to satisfy globalization potential in regards to comparative advantage. This can however create a positive effect on long term economic growth on service industry. Solutions of multilateral, given that they will not tamper with the competition will end up enhancing and widening trade in services. At the same time it is significant to promote fairness and transparency with the important shareholders fully available.
Regulatory Reform: Many barriers to the sector of service development are said to be of domestic nature and not on the border between countries. The major principal that limits the competition and growth of economy in services is domestic regulation. Domestic regulation keeps on shifting and making changes in the economic services of various countries and it might affect the economy directly or indirectly. Most of these regulations are created in order to deal with expected failures in the market which may include externalities which are normally related to infrastructure, networks and consumers and producers asymmetric information.
Government programmes: Shift in service economy is highly influenced by government programmes. The support of government to industries can take different forms which range from assembling, analysis and information distribution to targeted financial support and subsidies. In many cases a lot of support has been given to manufacturing and little support to service industry. Although there is lack of consistent data, support given to service industry has normally been directed to health, tourism, education, transportation, arts and entertainment and social assistance. It is therefore important for greater efforts to be created and implemented to systematically reveal collection of information which will be more transparent on the industry of services. This will give the industry and the government an opportunity to make more concrete and informed decisions on the service industry to boosts its economy.
Effects of Policies and Procedures on Customers Impression on Customer Service
A customer service policy is a code of conduct which is written in order to be utilized by employees while serving customers. Every organization or company must practice confidentiality when it comes to their customer service policies and procedures. Effective, clear and precise service codes have a positive impact on the customers. The codes impress customers especially if they portray polite manners, establish mechanisms of feedback and show positive appearance. Customers are always impressed by positive service in any organization and this is a sign of saying they will come back for the same services or more services if the policies and procedures of the company are well practiced. The policies of a business or company also boost sales if they are well implemented. It is therefore advisable for the managers to take good time to determine the priorities for policies and procedures of customer service.
When putting up the company’s policies, it is important to ensure that pre-planning, measurement and goal setting are well considered. The policies should be set for customer satisfaction and also in a manner that the company’s objectives and expectations are also met. It is clear that success is a moving target and therefore room for readjustments should be allowed and anticipated. Good customer service will always bring the customers back and bad customer service will keep them away. Company’s policies will always determine whether you can keep your customer happy for them to preach about your product to others on the great services you offered and a lackluster policy of a company will always damage the company’s reputation in various ways.
Importance of Communication Skills
Successful customer service is fully about communication. A good demonstration towards our clients that we are paying attention to them and that their feedback is highly valued in combination with a good ability to convey messages clearly with empathy and warmth will always put more enhancement in the experience of clients however transitory. The major basic principles such as knowing when to say sorry, listening attentively, and making your customer feel at ease make a big difference and always make our customers feel that they are of great value to us. According to research, happy client will always come back to us and always inform other customers about our services for them to come to us.
Technology has led to a big boost in the service industry. Due to technology, communication which is very essential in service industry has been made easy and fast and also less expensive. A good example is booking of air tickets in most of the global airlines. It is a procedure that can be done in minutes through the use of internet on sites such as yahoo, Gmail, outlook and others. This means of communications have made services to be easily available even when people are in different parts of the world. For the people in customer service sector, communication is considered very essential and strong aspects of the business. Problem solving skills and proper communication are a must have for anyone who wants to venture in the service industry. Those communicating to the customers through the emails or any written channels must portray a strong spelling, typing and grammar skills. They must also have the ability to convey information efficiently and effectively in an online environment. When dealing with the questions and complains of the customers communication also comes into play and this is a reality in the service industry.
The true secret of communication which is successful lies in your ability to measure the customers’ expectations and style of communication and thus responding appropriately. A good example is when a customer calls and expects more than the answer as the issue but he is also in a small talk mood. Other customers want their transactions done hurriedly and show no interest in talking. It is therefore important to think on how to address the customer in order to deliver satisfaction. Communications skills training is an important aspect that many organizations have engaged with in order to train their employees on how to communicate to their clients for high quality delivery of services.
Poor communication skills by the employees lead to unfulfilled clients needs. If a customer feels that her needs are not well taken care of and effectively addressed then the customer is less likely to buy from the business. On the bottom line this can have a very immediate impact. Poor communication can also lead to repeat customers decline. It is evident that it costs a lot to attract new customers and less to retain the existing ones. Proper and effective service to customers will always keep them happy and ready for more. However, if service needs are not met the customer may buy once and never return. The offer of service to the customers must always be genuine. The representatives of business should put in mind that without customers their jobs would not exist and the business also will not exist. Therefore, customer service workers must always remain conciliatory and polite even when dealing with a rude or angry client. Employers who are looking for customer service clientele should consider individuals who have the listening ability and who have compassion together with the adequate skills.
Effects of Verbal Feedback on Customer Service
Verbal feedback is a means of communication that is allows the customer to get an immediate answer without having to wait like in use of emails and other forms of communication. It is fast and not expensive and therefore saves time for both the customer and the service provider. It also helps the customer service provider create a good relationship with the client since a lot of information might be shared without having to keep limits. Detailed information is given to the client and at some point the service provider might be able to share both business and personal information which might assist them in their future endeavors. Verbal language also gives both the service provider and the customer an opportunity to utilize nonverbal cues such as the body language and the tone.
Verbal feedback is considered effective and important in a customer service business. This is because it gives assurance towards the client and gives them the feeling that they are important to the company. Verbal feedback is also a customer service method of reducing complains. Complain reduction is a normal expectation for any company that is engaging itself in services of customer care. Verbal communication also helps the customers to identify clearly the employee they have dealt with especially if they are frequent employees and this reduces confusion and misunderstandings. In case of a complaint upon a certain employee they will be able to identify and avoid bad circulation of online or public comments on unknown employee who is making the customers unhappy.
Importance of Practicing Good Listening Skills in a Customer Service Environment
Listening skills are very important in the service industry. It is important to hear and understand what other people are trying to say to you. In most cases these skills require paying good attention to the customer and taking to your time to do so rather than hurrying the client assuming an unsaid message which might not be apparent as per the expectations of the client. Strong listening skills will always give the service provider a good opportunity to address the customer and attend to her enquiries and needs in an efficient and quick way. Customer service is considered to be an aspect of listening to the customer’s needs and want and striving to meet their request politely and in a professional way. Whether the service is offered via male, over the telephone or in person, a representative of service in any organization or company must always help a client in needs identification that they might never have considered and also help predict or anticipate the client’s future needs.
Proper response to the customers question gives a positive impression of the services and also of the service provider. This may attract sales if the queries of the clients are well attended at and it is a sign that shows that the customer is considered important in the business. It is always known that the rule of business states that the customer is the boss. .
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