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A Publication Featuring The Information
Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume V, Issue 12 | December 2002 |
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By definition, a "Customer" is a person who purchases goods or services from another, and "Service" is the act of 1) employment in duties or work for another 2) work done for others as an occupation or business 3) assistance; help.
So, customer service is providing assistance or help to a person who is asking for goods or services, from a business. As I see it, "Customer Service" is providing tools, information, products, services or support. Everyone in an organization is providing one or all of these - perhaps they recognize which ones, perhaps not.
Is this all that customer service is? NO, "Customer Service" spans a great deal of clichés, terms, and measurements. How does one measure customer service? Well, that’s easy, isn’t it? If your customers are happy, then good customer service is being provided, right? Wrong. Hearing from customers is the easiest way of measuring the service being provided. A manager must keep in mind that many customers will not share either a negative or even a positive experience with their staff or organization. One can assume that if the organization’s service requests continue to grow, it is good.
But that is not entirely true. A manager and employees need to ask themselves several questions such as "Are we really providing the level of service our customers expect?" and "Are we exceeding the service expected?" As a manager, their responsibility is to address all complaints without bias. Sure, we know that some people are very hard to please, but what if the same complaint continues?
Managers and employees need to understand that just one complaint tarnishes the entire department or organization. The only way to attempt improvement is to address the issues. Sometimes the reason for perceived poor service is not with the individual. Managers must identify issues which can be resolved by training - and not just technical training, but also soft-skills - PEOPLE SKILLS. Not everyone handles others the way they should. Is the issue the lack of tools that the employees are expected to use? Is the issue that the employees are unsure of the expectations of the organization or department? Do managers share the goals and expectations appropriately?
Do the employees feel trapped because of internal issues that are hindering their ability to provide the level of service expected?
You all have a negative experience you could share. You go to dinner, order a fairly expensive meal, and although you are enjoying the atmosphere, you begin to wonder "where is my meal?" After a great deal of time, your meal comes. Unfortunately, you have become so frustrated, enjoying the meal is not an option. Whose fault is it? You ask at the end of your meal, is this the standard wait time for a meal? Someone explains that your wait time was unusually long because your original meal was ruined and another was prepared.
How nice it would have been for a customer, if at the first sign of the issue, the waitress or manager approached the customer, stated the issue, and offered a free drink. The customer now knows the situation, understands the length of time and hears an apology. That is good customer service! And as the customer, they own the responsibility of sharing their bad experience to the manager, to provide the manager an opportunity to make it better next time.
"Treat others as you want to be treated." We all learned this in grade-school; as a service person, keep this in mind the next time you are working with a customer.
Stay tuned for more articles discussing customer service.
Questions? Contact the author, who is the Bureau of Information Services’ Customer Support Program Manager, by e-mailing ginnie.ricker@state.me.us
