There are two approaches to customer services, personalized and standardized modes. Personalized services are inconsistent as it addresses specific customer needs whereas in a standardized approach the services offered are uniform, adhering to set rules and procedures.
According to Spector and McCarthy (2012), Nordstrom offers a personalized customer service with specials such as loyalty rewards programs and unconditional return policies which have made it a global reference for quality customer services. Each customer is served differently based on what they want. Despite being a costly approach, the customer-tailored services help build strong customer relationships and brand loyalty (Khan). The better relationship created acts as a positive word-of-mouth communication that can attract new customers and build a strong brand presence among consumers. Using this method, Nordstrom has had little to do with advertisements or marketing to attract customers despite being mentioned all over the world (Spector and McCarthy). On the other hand, Mc Donald’s has implemented a standardized customer service approach. There is consistency on how customers are served. Managers ensure that employees follow a given set of rules formulated by the company when serving customers. This method has low unit cost and uses little resources, like customer attendants, to maximize profits.
An employee whose roles include customer support is required to have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Also, the employee should be able to provide creative solutions to address immediate customer concerns with the minimal use of resources. Besides, one should have a great deal of attention to details which are necessary especially when collecting customer comments or details. It is also crucial for one to be tolerant and able to cope with stressful conditions or people.
Works Cited
Khan, Humayun. "How Nordstrom Made Its Brand Synonymous With Customer Service (And How You Can Too) – Shopify". Shopify's Ecommerce Blog - Ecommerce News, Online Store Tips & More. N.p., 2014. Web. 2 May 2016.
Spector, Robert & Patrick D McCarthy. The Nordstrom Way To Customer Service Excellence. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
