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Customer service is one of the true business essentials. Everyone remembers the
bad customer service they have had, and most will also remember instances of
good customer service. The importance of customer service is recognized by all
successful businesses, because it is possibly the number one element in customer
retention. If you want to ensure that you get repeat business, looking out for the
wishes and needs of your customer base is essential. How you go about providing
it is up to you, but there are certain elements which remain the same whatever the nature of your
business. These are the principles of good customer service.
Whenever a customer makes a purchase, they will have priorities as to what makes their experience a
positive one. Obviously the first priority is that they get whatever they have purchased from the point of
purchase to their home. If it is a small item that they can take with them, the business’s responsibility is
to see to it that the item is packaged and presented in a manageable, portable fashion with a minimum
of waiting. However, customer service begins before this. When a customer enters the store or the
showroom to find what they are looking for, they may require the attention of staff to enable them to
find it. Some customers just want to browse. Staff is required to ascertain what a customer wants how
they want to go about it and whether they will need any help.
Customer service can be defined as any action you take to ensure that a customer is pleased with the
transaction on a long-term basis. This includes “after sales service”, which entails ensuring that the
customer leaves the point of sale with the item that they were looking for, within the period of time that
they intended to spend sourcing it, and then has no problems using it. It is easy enough to ensure a
customer goes away from the point of sale with the item they had come to purchase. Ensuring that they
are happy going forward may require more care and attention, and this is where after-sales service
needs to be at its highest level. Pre-sales, after sales and point-of-sale service are all essential elements
of customer service.