Question

5. Customer service newsletter Research effective customer service and create a newsletter that includes tips and strategies for providing effective customer service. The audience includes the administrative professionals who attend the new

Answer 1

ATTAINING AND RETAINING CUSTOMERS THROUGH EXCELLENT SERVICE

• Establishing a standard of customer service which should be challenging based on the highest quality benchmark for the segment
• Use appropriate tool for measurement of quality of service on the basis of expected level of quality of service and actual value of service provided as perceived by the customer.
• Facilitate immediate identification of service gap thereby facilitating quick response time with immediate corrective action along with clear guidance on the required control measures for recovery
• Provide motivation and job satisfaction to the service staff is essential as it reflects in the service provided to customers
• Provide training on engagement along with optimal interpersonal and communication skills for best performance with maximized efficiency and output
• Aim for minimization of lapses and more efficient handling of the lapses when they occur.
• Build the brand image through absolute customer satisfaction by exceeding customer expectations.
• Promotion of innovative thinking and optimization of processes within the customer service department through continuous improvement
• Building teams with collaboration, cooperation, cohesion and effective communication within the service department
• Focus on attaining customer loyalty, trust and retention through optimal services.

POSITIVE ACCURATE INNOVATIVE COMMUNICATIVE EFFECTIVE CREATIVE

Importance of Customer Satisfaction The business of business is getting and keeping customers. (Drucker, 1979) Delivering high-quality service and high customer satisfaction is closely linked to profits, cost savings, and market share. PIMS, Profit Impact of Market Share, 1970s)

Effective Listening For Efficient Customer Service Mctive listening is ssry foraustonerseiz Theres aneyess Listen dont just wait forypur tum to talE "The ave four Asking you understand a customer's ideas. ions to make sure Clarifying Paraphrasing Rewording what a customer just said to confirm you understand Reflecting Feelings Using phrases demonstrates gS empathy and shows that you re paying attention. Finishing a conversation witha Summarizing quick summary of the most important points ensures that everyone's on the same pitch Answer.

Customers are the foundation on which the profitability and the success of any enterprise depends. Therefore, it is essential that customer satisfaction become a primary focal point for most businesses, as satisfaction of customers subsequently results in customer retention and repeat buying. Customer satisfaction generally refers to perfect understanding of the demands and requirements of customers and utilising this knowledge to serve them better by fulfilling all possible aspects of the demands and requirements, thereby attaining customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction results from the value attributed to a product or service by a customer therefore it is essential that the product be designed to meet user demands as optimizing value within services for the customer to gain competititve advantage within the extremely competitive market conditions prevalent in the global economy. The provision for value within every product and ensuring customer satisfaction through customer relationship management which looks into all customer complaints and takes required action in minimal response time, to avoid any damage to company and brand reputation and image, has become an important process within most companies as they understand the importance of customer satisfaction. Customer loyalty results from trust in a brand which a customer may develop due to having achieved absolute satisfaction through earlier use of the product or service. Customer loyalty is when a customer is retained and exhibits trust and loyalty through recurring repurchase of the product or service. We can say that exceptional customer service leads to customer loyalty as good customer service always generates trust in the company and the brand as the customer perceives exceptional value within the service in comparison with others. All existing competition today is based on satisfying customers to the maximum which results in maximizing the market share for a certain product, as customer satisfaction is the major deciding factor for the success of any organisation. Customer satisfaction is generally the present attitude and value perception within the product or service for a customer, whereas, customer loyalty refers to predicting the future behaviour of the customer in continuing to utilise the product or service on the basis of his current attitude. Customer loyalty is therefore, an outcome in the future based on the level of satisfaction depicted by a customer presently measured through feedback received and analysed to arrive at future predictions of loyalty.

For implementation of an improved system of customer service an organisation needs to implement a system of monitoring and control by establishing a standard of customer service which should be challenging in itself and be the highest quality benchmark for the segment, along with due consideration for the past performance of the customer service department. The customer feedback should be received by the manager of the customer Service Department who should be responsible for monitoring on the basis of the feedback received from customers regarding the quality of service by utilizing tools like the SERVQUAL model which is a device for measurement of quality of service on the basis of expected level of quality of service and actual value of service provided as perceived by the customer. The model allows for adequate identification of service gap thereby facilitating quick response time with immediate corrective action along with clear guidance on the required control measures for the specific service gap to be predefined. The customer relations department inadequately monitor and control customer service and greatly improved customer satisfaction by undertaking quick corrective action.

The customer relation staff needs to be provided adequate training for ensuring achievement of the required improvement in customer service and greater customer satisfaction leading to improved sales and customer retention for the organisation. this needs to be undertaken by the Human Resource Department and the standard for performance needs to be set on the basis of quality of output required in the form of level of satisfaction generated for the customer. the performance standard should be established and needs to be measured against actual performance as indicated by customer feedback in perceived quality of service actually received by the customer from every employee. The input received from the customer as feedback for quality of service received in the form of information gathered through survey forms after a customer has been provided service can have dual benefits as being the basis for measurement of service quality and monitoring and control by the customer relation department and also the basis for analysis of performance of customer service star and used by the Human Resource Department for monitoring performance and undertaking further training improvement of employees wherever required. This results in building the brand image through absolute customer satisfaction achieved by training the staff on all required traits.

Cooperation and collaboration are essential elements of relationships within a teams work environment and it is essential we understand the importance of these attributes to manage tough situations, meet impossible deadlines, and ensure optimal performance. It is like a support system within our work sphere. To be achieved through effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Effective Communication is the foundation which defines the success of every organization, department and team as without effective communication, each individual works in a silo type manner, without forging ahead as one with the extensive benefits of the strength derived from unity. The major part of communication is based on interpersonal skills and is required by every employee in every organization to enhance output.

Interpersonal skills one of the most important life skills that are required for achieving success in both professional and personal life. A lot of our success depends upon inherent ability to communicate effectively rather than extensively, as this is very essential to solving problems as well as finding solutions to overcome the numerous obstacles that we encounter in a personal and professional lives. Interpersonal skills do not only consist of verbal communication but communication and understanding of every type physical, emotional and mental.

Having excellent verbal communication skills that is being able to clearly express verbally our thoughts to ensure that the communication is effective. For this communication to be effective it is important that we have adequate listening skills which becomes input for our verbal output. If we are unable to process the input correctly the output will definitely be imperfect. This also includes all non verbal communication which is through body language, tone of voice, our facial expressions and our attention.

Empathy is an essential interpersonal skill which enables us to not only interpret and understand communication from others but also analyze the situation perfectly by putting ourselves in their place. It is very different from sympathy and denotes superior emotional intelligence the ability to understand and manage not only our own but the others emotions also. This also helps in the resolution of conflicts which may be personal or within the group in a positive manner true empathizing with both sides and assisting them through presenting the issue from the others viewpoint. Another skill set which is very important is the ability to operate within the group as a team through development of adequate analytical skills which may require working together with other group members and being able to view a problem through various angles and promote consensus on the solution. To achieve this we require adequate skills to influence the decision of others through assertiveness, as well as, persuasion.

This is acquired by facilitating service leadership by promotion of innovative thinking and optimization of processes within the customer service department through continuous improvement supported by feedback from customers. Exceeding customer expectations within customer service processes by achieving operational efficiency through positive team environment with entire team working as a single unit for optimizing the customer experience at every level.

Service recovery is an important aspect of customer service and who is extreme importance in our industry which is service based. It would greatly improve customer satisfaction if we could train all our staff to effectively develop the skills of customer service recovery which will facilitate exploitation of the service recovery paradox in case of service lapses occurring. It should be our endeavor to provide optimal service at all times but optimal and efficient management of lapses impact customer loyalty and brand image extensively. What is an essential element of service recovery is quick response with immediate fixing of the problem and following up to ensure optimal customer satisfaction. This requires a certain level of delegation of authority to the customer service staff to be able to make decisions which are optimal solutions to the problem without having to involve various other hierarchical levels of management as in bureaucratic organisations leading to failure of service due to the extensively complicated procedure for availing permission for every decision.