Blogging after a long time...to begin with, let me put a question.. How do we react to bad customer service?? Press 1 to toss the phone, 2 to yell at ourselves, 3 to pull our hair, 4 to dissolve into tears, 5 to do all of the above or 6 to reach a customer service associate-although it seems exasperatingly polite and jargon-dripping voice from over the phone (usually unable to help) is the face of customer service of the modern times. On top of it, the delicious irony is that to disapprove /condemn an organization on its Facebook page (the most talked about flavour of the season), we have to register our Like for it first.
How has customer service changed in the past decade, that started off with people getting more relaxed with the internet and now moving onto social media where, it would seem, it’s so simple to draw a company’s attention to how it hasn’t paid any attention to its customers. Promptness has become very significant. Earlier the promise of a visit on Saturday has moved on to Saturday between 12-1 p.m. because customers don’t have the time to wait for hours. Earlier there would be somebody at home all day, but the situation is not same now. Thus, most of the service visits are made after 7 p.m. or on the weekends
Customer service campaigners scrutinize mammoth technological revolution in the past decade has changed the expectations of customers drastically. One can now bypass the tedious queues and book railway tickets online and bank and buy through the internet. The flipside is that the barriers have plummeted, several businesses of the same kind have proliferated and customer service has become a hygiene factor. Business houses, these days are investing in technology thinking it will make the customer happy but they are spending only to be in the race of business. And in this process, they are only focusing on customer acquisition and not on retention. A million dollar question that arises now is whether these companies have the back-up systems to manage the load? Customers of today are much more empowered and enabled, thanks to technology but the core driver needs to be sensitive. Speed of response is a necessary component, but that does not call for an automated response. It’s not only hi-tech but a hi-touch that is important today. People want a voice and a business deal is not just sales, but the total experience with the organization. Products have become commoditized and customer service is the major differentiator. The biggest challenge for the senior management is to institutionalize customer relationships..
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Monday, September 15, 2008
Creating Customer Value
To really serve a customer requires a deep understanding of their needs
It also requires customization, personalization and empathy
Service.. service.. and service …24 x 7 service… toll free after sale service and what not; these days we hear this term quite often. And it is no more restricted to those archetypal service endeavors like health care, hospitality, consultancy etc; even the organizations dealing with hardcore consumer durables / FMCGs also discuss customer service..The punchline of Chevrolet says "car is yours, maintenance is ours", i.e., the organisation will bear the maintenance cost of the cars for the initial 3 years.The term "customer service" also occupies a very prominent position in the retail sector. By coincidence, I happen to teach Market of Services…hence I thought to pen down few lines on creating customer value on the blog..
If we manage a service organization, the business is to do work for the customers—work that they value enough to make a repeat purchase. For any service organization, fulfilling the customers’ desire is the core requirement. However keeping in mind the competitive periphery, simply meeting the requirements of the customers qualifies a service provider only to compete; there can be no guarantee of earning customer loyalty. Increasingly what creates right and equally importantly perceived customer value is the ability of the service provider to personalize service delivery and convey an aura of understanding and excellence to the customers.
Yet we see that many service enterprises fail to meet these objectives as they are mired with in either of two extreme service paradigms: the service factory model or the servitude model. The former accentuates efficiency, consistency and cost effectiveness delivered through processed system with proper standardization and control-for e.g., Pizza Hut / Mc Donald’s and other fast food establishments. The latter model highlights responsiveness, customization as well as empathy achieved through a phalanx of skilled & experienced service employees- for e.g. the butlers.
Service is doing the work of the customer. As a result, it requires high level of people to people contact, plus communication and coordination with the customers. Moreover, the service provider also requires to develop a level of customer intimacy. Once this intimacy is lost, the service provider will lose much of its potential value. In order to be efficient, a service enterprise needs to know each individual customers personally and be effective in fulfilling their total service requirements.
Today, we can take the advantage of ITES and engineer customer knowledge into service delivery process so that intimate customer knowledge can be harnessed to:
Customize the service, Foresee customer needs by tracking customer history and profiles, Increase perceived value and Improve service recovery by prompt responses.
It also requires customization, personalization and empathy
Service.. service.. and service …24 x 7 service… toll free after sale service and what not; these days we hear this term quite often. And it is no more restricted to those archetypal service endeavors like health care, hospitality, consultancy etc; even the organizations dealing with hardcore consumer durables / FMCGs also discuss customer service..The punchline of Chevrolet says "car is yours, maintenance is ours", i.e., the organisation will bear the maintenance cost of the cars for the initial 3 years.The term "customer service" also occupies a very prominent position in the retail sector. By coincidence, I happen to teach Market of Services…hence I thought to pen down few lines on creating customer value on the blog..
If we manage a service organization, the business is to do work for the customers—work that they value enough to make a repeat purchase. For any service organization, fulfilling the customers’ desire is the core requirement. However keeping in mind the competitive periphery, simply meeting the requirements of the customers qualifies a service provider only to compete; there can be no guarantee of earning customer loyalty. Increasingly what creates right and equally importantly perceived customer value is the ability of the service provider to personalize service delivery and convey an aura of understanding and excellence to the customers.
Yet we see that many service enterprises fail to meet these objectives as they are mired with in either of two extreme service paradigms: the service factory model or the servitude model. The former accentuates efficiency, consistency and cost effectiveness delivered through processed system with proper standardization and control-for e.g., Pizza Hut / Mc Donald’s and other fast food establishments. The latter model highlights responsiveness, customization as well as empathy achieved through a phalanx of skilled & experienced service employees- for e.g. the butlers.
Service is doing the work of the customer. As a result, it requires high level of people to people contact, plus communication and coordination with the customers. Moreover, the service provider also requires to develop a level of customer intimacy. Once this intimacy is lost, the service provider will lose much of its potential value. In order to be efficient, a service enterprise needs to know each individual customers personally and be effective in fulfilling their total service requirements.
Today, we can take the advantage of ITES and engineer customer knowledge into service delivery process so that intimate customer knowledge can be harnessed to:
Customize the service, Foresee customer needs by tracking customer history and profiles, Increase perceived value and Improve service recovery by prompt responses.
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