Good Customer Service

Good customer service is the key to success in any business. A business is made to serve a certain clientele, and if those clients aren’t happy, what is the point of the business? Customer service can be the obvious, such as being respectful to the customer, or it can be subtle, like offering a bottle of water, or wrapping the purchased item. It also means listening to your customer, and having the product knowledge to help meet their needs. Sometimes people only have a general idea about what they want, so by having the knowledge of what you can offer them you are doing them a service. People want to know that the person helping them isn’t a complete idiot, and its not about just being there to take their money from them, its about upholding the standards the business wants to be known for. Customers also want to feel comfortable. Another key aspect of good customer service is the way a customer is treated. “Remember that every time that you, your employees, and your colleagues make contact with a customer – whether its by email, phone, written correspondence, or a face-to-face meeting – the interaction leaves an impression with that customer.” (“Ten Rules for Great Customer Service” AllBusiness.com 1999-2011) Ultimately, if you know your customer, you will know what they need.  Providing good customer service is the responsibility of every single member of any business, company, team, or public serving entity. If the standards aren’t created, then they can’t be enforced, and if they can’t be enforced, they won’t be upheld. Overall, good customer service needs to be a business-wide commitment; otherwise, it just becomes an empty promise. “Sales without Customer Service is like stuffing money into a pocket full of holes.” –David Tooman (CustomerServicePoint.com 2003-2009)