The bloodline of any business is customer service. Providing services to customers before, during and after purchase is called customer service (Buttle 2009). To increase performance and productivity, businesses must offer excellent service to customer. How a customer is handled determines the level of satisfaction and loyalty the customer will have to the products or services offered by the business. A satisfied customer is a happy customer who will become a repeat customer and most likely introduce new customers (Buttle 2009). Therefore, the profitability of any business is dependent on how customers are treated by the employees making the issue a top priority for business growth and sustainability. This research is focused on reasons for using and purpose of evaluating customer service policies, influences of customer service on customer perception, different methods of communication and assessing source of information on customer requirements and level of satisfaction.
Customer service policies are the rules and regulations developed by organizations to provide a clear guideline on how customers should be served and give customers an idea of what to expect (Mehta 2014). Customer service policies are made of five essential components. To begin the policy should have a unique point of view that informs customers of the products and services on offer explaining the qualities that make these products stand out from similar ones. In addition, it should include the organizations core values. The core values stipulate the mission and vision of the company while communicating the culture of the company and laying standards of how customers should be handled (Helkkula & Kelleher 2010).
Another component that should be included in customer service policy is information on the kind of customer experience a customer should expect from your company. The policy should also include a guideline of what employees are supposed to do and not to do when face with various situations. These include rules and regulations. Lastly giving detailed procedures on how situations should be handled is a vital inclusion in the customer service policy, as it will help when solving common problems (Zhao & LI 2008).
Organizations develop customer service polices to communicate to customers about the kind of services they should expect from the business. Therefore reaching out to customers to develop a loyal customer base using customer service policies makes it easier for customers to determine whether what they are looking for is available in a particular business establishment. The policy provides the customers with information like contact details of the customer service, working hours and the roles of the contact center personnel as well as what is expected of the personnel (Helkkula & Kelleher 2010).
Customer service policies are useful in achievement of organizational goals. According to (Mehta 2014) the policies develop the performance expectation of all members of staff, thus developing a performance culture in an organization. This performance culture helps the organization achieve the set objectives thus steering towards achievement of organizational vision. The main goal any organization is to attract and retain customers. Thus if excellent customer service is practiced during service delivery, the organization will grow is customer base through referral by existing customers.
Customer service policies help set standards of service delivery within an organization. Although research indicate that customer satisfaction is dependent on several factors that include customers emotional state at the time of service Wu, et al (2013), an organization can standardize how customers are served to give a unified fell throughout. The standardized procedures guide members of staff during service delivery and decision making and eventually giving the customers a feel of the kind and quality of service to expect from the organization.
Customer service policies help an organization in identifying gaps in customer service. This offers a room for improvement as areas of weakness as well as opportunities available are identifies (Jahanshahi, et al 2011). This new piece of information helps the organization in creating strategies for addressing and filling the gap. When the gap is filled the level of productivity of the organization improves thus better performance is witnessed.
Customer service policies promote accountability in an organization. With the policy in place, employees can be held responsible for their actions thus giving a guarantee to customers. Employees stick to the proper customer service plan to make sure customers are satisfied and happy. Thus, accountability makes every player responsible for customer satisfaction and improvement of organizations service policy (Wu & Liang 2009).
By incorporating the policy in mission statement of an organization, the image of the organization is improved. This helps improve the picture customers will have of the organization as well as their views. A good image makes potential customers optimistic of the services to expect. According to (Jahanshahi, et al 2011) a positive mindset and attitude will most of the times translate to increased satisfaction with service provision. Therefore, when customers are optimistic about what to expect chances are that many will have a good experience with the services.
Implementing customer service policies lead to cost efficiency and improved image of an organization. A lot of time and money is spent taking complains and correcting mistakes (Helkkula & Kelleher 2010). Therefore, offering the best services to customers helps a company cut on damage management cost and reinforces a good image on customers.
Customer service policies are critical in enhancing decision making regarding problems related to customers. The fact that the policy incorporates rules and regulations that should be followed while serving customers as well as procedures necessary in common problems solution empowers employees to make quick decision on customer issues. This quick decision-making gives the company an image of a very responsive organization therefore gaining customer trust (Helkkula & Kelleher 2010). Customer trust is very important for business as it leads to loyalty and referrals that are important in increasing market share.
Customer service policy evaluation is done to give an organization a status report that helps in improving the design of the policy as well as how the policy is implemented. Regular evaluations ensures customer service policy are effective as they are meant to be as well as help in identifying areas that need to be improved for efficient goal realization (Song, et al 2013). Thus, with regular evaluation of consumer policies, an organization will learn of what the customer needs and expectations are, and compare the needs to what the company offers to establish what they have been doing right and what needs improvement. Therefore, according to Bergman and Klefsjö (2010) evaluation is the key to offering quality services to customers.
To learn the level of impact customer service policies are having in an organization, an evaluation is paramount. Collecting customer feedback and conducting random surveys on customer service delivery gives a clear roadmap on the progress of the implementation of customer service policies on consumer perception and satisfaction levels (Vermeeren, et al 2010). Evaluation also helps learn about the challenges employees face while putting into action the policies. Thus, an organization will know whether the policies are producing expected results and if not pin point to the reasons for the contrary result. This happens by exposing the strength and weakness of an organization. The strengths are the implementations strategies that work in favor of the organization giving it a competitive advantage and making it favorable to the customers while the weaknesses are the things that have a negative impact on the performance and need urgent attention to correct the situation (Vermeeren, et al 2010).
Regular evaluations of customer service policies increase the level of accountability, employee performance and eventually improve company image. According to Bergman and Klefsjö (2010) employee morale increases when people know that, their actions at work are being watched as they link the gesture to better opportunity in the organization if they demonstrate exemplary performance. Increase morale translates to better performance, increased level of accountability as well as a good image for the organization. This in turn converts to quality service for customers and greater customer satisfaction that will lead to customer loyalty.
Evaluation of customer service policies is essential in determining the need to train members of staff in future. By carrying out evaluation, an organization will identify existing gaps in implementation of customer service policy. According to Bergman and Klefsjö (2010), presence of gaps in a system enables identification so skill sets and strategies that are best suited to filling the gaps. This helps in determining the need for employee training and what skills they have to be trained in. Therefore, employee training is essential in fostering improvement in employee duty performance, customer service as well as customer experience. Creating a culture of excellent customer service will also create the need to groom new employees with necessary skills and knowledge that gives an organization a competitive advantage (Miyoshi 2008). Thus, evaluation will help learn the skills that are essential for optimal performance of new employee. This makes it easier for new employee to adapt to the culture of the organization while guaranteeing customers quality service.
Communication is the method of exchange of information between two or more parties. The use of proper communication channels when delivering information helps in promoting efficiency at work. A good communication channel should be appropriate to message recipients level of knowledge, clear and easy to understand and convenient for both the sender and the recipient (Rahman 2010). There are different communication methods that are applied at work place.
Verbal communication is the act of speaking that is done one on one, over the phone or in a group setting. This is a fast and effective form of communication as an immediate response or feedback can be gotten immediately. Messages delivered orally are easier to understand and clarifications to any confusing mater can be sought immediately making it effective in information delivery. On the other hand, Whiteman (2013) says verbal communication is good at enhancing relationships both at personal level as well as at corporate level due to the presence of personal touch. The downside to verbal communication is that there is no record of the conversation, so it is easy for one party to deny ever taking part in any talks especially if only two people were involved in the conversation (Rahman 2010). Verbal communication is applied in organizations when presenting information to colleagues or during discussions as it is useful in giving and getting in-depth information. Phone calls are also part of verbal communication. A phone call makes long distance communication easy faster and efficient as a message is relayed to a person far away and an immediate feedback is received. The skills needed the most when using verbal communication is listening and speaking skills (Rahman 2010). When using verbal communication the tone to be used is determined by the message being delivered. The tone determines the effectiveness of the message.
Written form of communication is essential in passing of information in an organization. It is useful when providing detailed information or doing presentations. This is the most applicable method of communication when sending important documents and materials to stakeholders as information is stored for future reference (Whiteman 2013). Written communication appears in forms like, emails, minutes, memos, contracts, reports and advertisements materials like billboards, brochures and flayers.
Emailing system is a very fast form of written communication that has gained popularity due to its speed of information delivery and the fact that the message is delivered instantly and response given immediately (Whiteman 2013).
According to Mascle (2013) written communication is advantageous as the information can be stored as a permanent record that can be used as reference in future. The message can also be distributed to a large number of audiences easily. This method of communication is most appropriate for use when conveying long messages. Because it is a form that can be referred to in future, written communication promotes accountability as it is legally binding (Mascle 2013). However, written communication has some drawbacks. This method of communication is expensive as it requires proper infrastructure depending on the information being written and takes a long process to complete. Disseminating the message is time consuming and feedback delayed. In addition, the method is not suitable for illiterate people.
According to Burgoon, et al (2016) body language is a powerful tool in management techniques. However, body language as a form of communication is usually combined with verbal communication for it to be effective. The actions that accompany an oral message will determine the kind of feedback that will be received. Hand gestures, facial expression and other body movements that accompany a verbal message are examples of body language.
In organizations, all these forms of communications are used regularly. However, the most appropriate method of communication should be chosen depending on the kind of information being delivered, the person targeted by the information and the location of the person and the urgency of the information as well as expected feedback.
How customers perceive an organization is highly dependent on the quality of customer service provided by the organization. The company might be offering the best products and services in the market, but how their representatives handle the customers will determine the amount of sales the company will make therefore, making the provision of customer service very important for any company’s market growth (Zhao 2008). Several customer service factors determine the kind of image customers will have about an organization.
An organization that is not responsive to customers complains and request will have a negative perception among customers. Therefore, to give customers a good image an organization should develop a culture of solving customer’s problems the best way possible and as fast as possible (Wall & Berry 2007). When a customer’s problem is handled and a response given, the customer feels that the company values them and their trust of the company increases.
When facing a customer, body language matters a lot in determining the perception that customer will have regarding the organization after the contact experience (Zhao 2008). Listening carefully and paying attention to a customer helps understand and identify a customer’s needs by asking questions. The level of attention you give a customer will shape a perception regarding the company. Therefore, it is important to encourage the customers to provide feedback and suggestions about your service to give them a good experience.
Customer perception will be shaped by the level of respect received when seeking services from an organization. Service providers must learn not to prejudge anyone and develop a culture of respecting every one irrespective of social status or affiliation (Wall & Berry 2007). Any form of disrespect to customers result to a negative image for the organization and customer dissatisfaction.
According to Zhao (2008), customers buy solutions to their problems and not products and services. Therefore, organizations must work hand to understand their customers better to be in a position to anticipate customer needs. When customers’ problems are solved properly, customer will have good experiences and better perception of the organization. Therefore, to get a good understanding of customers, regular communication is important to keep a conversation going and be in a position to exchange ideas that will give a clue on customer needs and wants.
To give your customers a good perception an organization must strive to keep its promise to the customers by giving exemplary service. Promising things that are beyond your capability will only tarnish company image. Giving your customers more than they expected from your service is a sure way to get the best customer perception (Zhao 2008). Going an extra mile gives customers a pleasant surprise that leads to great satisfaction, loyalty and referrals.
There are various sources of information available from which information regarding customer expectations and requirements can be gotten. They include:
Primary sources
Customers and employees are the main source of primary information at the disposal of an organization regarding customer requirements and expectations. To learn about customers expectations from the customers, an organization should create forums that encourage customer feedback, suggestions and opinions regarding products on offer. The organization can also invest in regular research surveys to collect data from customers about products and services and their satisfaction level (Taylor, et al 2015). Company employees are also very instrumental because they are the ones in the frontline and interact with the customers all the time (Cohen, et al 2013). Therefore, employees can provide invaluable information regarding the expectations and needs of customers and should be encouraged to report feedback gotten from the customer about the company. Despite the fact that this is a very reliable way of getting information, the process is expensive as it demands time, money and human resource.
Secondary sources
This is another source of information that can be utilized by organizations. This includes past research data of organizations like government publications, scholarly journals and trade journals (Taylor, et al 2015). Research findings related to customer expectations and requirements in related industries can be compared to get a general insight. The advantage of using secondary data is the fact that the process is cost effective, and fast as the information has already been collected. However, this data may not be very reliable as it may be outdated or may not be addressing the exact situation of an organization. Therefore, this data may need the backing of the primary data to get reliable information.
Conclusion
From this research, it is very evident that customer service policy is very important in any business and the way it is implemented determines customers’ satisfaction and loyalty to a business. To gain good results from the policy, regular evolutions of the policy should be done to offer room for improvement. To gain customer trust various communication methods should be applied appropriately to guarantee good service delivery. Service delivery is critical in shaping the appropriate perception of an organization in customers’ minds. Therefore, organizations must realize that customer service is the lifeline of their business and take time to over the best service to customers all the time.
References
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