The concept of customer service is not new and has been around for centuries. But now, it has gone through a major transformation, becoming more customer-centric. With technological advancement, customer service is not limited to providing good customer services but includes their satisfaction and happiness.
Have you ever been disappointed by a customer service experience? Or did you receive excellent customer service and feel bad about asking for more?
A customer service culture values providing exceptional service to customers and treats every interaction with a potential customer with utmost importance.
Customer service is the first line of defense for your company. If people aren’t happy with the service they receive from your company, they will go somewhere else.
Many people have heard of the concept of customer service. And the idea that companies should do a great job of serving their customers has become an expectation in many business sectors. But what does “customer service” mean, and how does it relate to psychological health?
Customer Service Definition
“Customer Service” is defined as the actions of an organization to provide its customers with a satisfying, rewarding, and safe shopping or buying experience. Customer service is about exceeding expectations and exceeding customer needs. It is about going above and beyond.
Customer service is also about listening to your customers. It is about acknowledging the customers’ feelings and emotions and responding to them appropriately.
Customer service is about providing great communication. It is about delivering the best possible information and being honest. It is about being a resource for your customers.
It is about having a positive attitude. It is about being friendly, helpful, and polite. It is about showing concern.
It is about giving sincere apologies when you make a mistake. It is about making sure that all customers are treated equally. It is about putting your customers first.
It is about treating all your customers with respect.
It is about ensuring that your company has policies and procedures to provide the highest level of service. It is about working professionally.
It is about delivering a satisfactory service. It is about making the customer’s experience a positive one.
It is about being the first to respond to customer requests. It is about handling complaints professionally and promptly. It is about resolving disputes.
It is about being accountable for the quality of your product or service. It is about being the most trusted company in the industry.
It is about ensuring that you provide a satisfactory service.
Customer Service Principles
Customer service principles are the core of any company’s culture. A customer service culture is based on the philosophy that everyone in the organization should act as a part of the team to deliver the best customer service possible.
It’s important to understand that the customer service process doesn’t end when the last employee has left the building. Customer service is ongoing, and everyone in an organization must constantly work to maintain a positive relationship with their customers.
So how do you start building a culture of customer service?
Here are five steps to help you get started.
- Establish clear customer service goals.
- Create a simple customer service system.
- Identify the most common customer service issues.
- Develop training programs.
- Measure the results of your program.
How to Improve Customer Service
As consumers, we expect great customer service; most companies know it’s important. But when we have a bad customer service experience, it can change our opinion of that company and its products.
That’s why creating a customer service culture is so important. The idea is to create a culture where everyone is happy to help each other, and customers feel safe and respected.
Here are the steps to improving customer service:
- Start by creating a culture where everyone is on the same page
When you hire new employees, you must understand what they’re looking for in a job.
A good culture will have clear expectations for an employee’s role, and they’ll know what to expect from you and your team.
- Create a culture of transparency.
Most people enjoy seeing how things work, and this includes customer service. When you provide transparency about what’s happening, you’re allowing your customers to see things from your perspective.
- Keep everyone involved in the process.
By keeping everyone involved in the process, you’re giving them a chance to voice their concerns. They can ask for a different person or approach if someone feels ignored.
- Offer flexible scheduling
You want to ensure that your staff is available to answer customer questions and resolve any issues. This is where flexible scheduling comes in handy.
- Keep everyone informed
It’s important to let your customers know how things are going, whether that’s an email, phone call, or some other method.
- Be transparent about the problems that happen.
When there is a problem, it’s important to be transparent about it. Tell customers what’s happening, and let them know when they can expect an update.
- Don’t blame the customer.
If you’re blaming a customer for the problem, you’re blaming them. Instead, it would be best if you took responsibility for your mistakes.
How does culture affect customer service?
While customer service is the main focus, a culture of customer service is a company’s approach to treating its employees well and helping them grow.
A good example of a culture of customer service is Netflix. According to their website, they have over 70 million members with a “Netflix family.”
They even have a phrase they use to describe their customer service: “Never leave a Netflix family member hanging.”
So what exactly does this mean? It means they treat their members as a family and will work hard to help them.
Another great example of a company with a customer service culture is Apple. Their “Think different” motto describes how they handle customer service.
Apple’s slogan is “Think different.” Think about that. If you’re an Apple customer, you know you’ll be treated like a king and get great customer service.
Frequently asked questions about the Culture of Customer Service
Q: What do you think is the biggest problem in customer service?
A: Most companies have a lack of understanding of their customers.
Q: What do you think the solution is to this problem?
A: Training. Having training programs where you can learn how to serve your customers better.
Q: How do you think companies can improve customer service?
A: Companies should always learn and listen to their customers to improve themselves.
Q: What does it take to be a good employee?
A: A good employee works hard, is honest, and cares about their co-workers.
Q: How did you first get into customer service?
A: I started my career as a receptionist at a law firm. I realized it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I decided to switch to a company offering more customer service, and became a phone agent.
Top Myths About Culture of Customer Service
- The culture of customer service is not a job title.
- It’s not just a job for people who want to be managers.
- Managers do not need to be good at communication skills.
Conclusion
Customer service culture is defined by the service you provide to your clients. When you think about customer service, think about how you treat people when they interact with you. Do you provide them with the best customer service possible? Or is your attitude one of indifference and uncaring?
As you can see from the above list, there are many different types of companies and different customer service cultures. This makes it difficult to know which ones are best for you.
However, some things apply to all types of companies and all kinds of cultures. For example, most companies will have some human resources department. They will need to hire employees, train them, and pay them. And they will need to fire employees if they don’t meet expectations.
