Quality Customer Service makes the Difference

 

Having been actively responsible for marketing the BSN brand in Nigeria prior to my enrolment as a student of the Business school, I have lived through experience which indicates that Quality Customer Service makes the difference in any Business. This notion was further confirmed while writing my Dissertation in which I carried out an extensive research work on Optimizing Quality Customer Service as Marketing Tool for profitability. Also, I am a certified customer service leader and trainer from the Quality Service Institute in Minnesota USA. Above all, I am dissatisfied consumer, who has experienced service failure so many times.

All things being equal, Quality Customer Service gives the edge over competitors regardless of their industry. It is worth remembering that everyone at one point in their lives has experienced Customer Service. It could be a memory of satisfaction and excitement that can feel after pursuing a product or service resulting from a positive customer experience, or the incident of poor customer service that left them disappointed. People want to receive the best treatment everywhere they go, and they become frustrated when their expectations are not met.

Achieving quality in products and services has become a major concern for consumer all over the world. As Quality Customer service will become an increasingly important factor in whether or not a company will succeed, the objective of every organization should be to provide quality service and to deliver value that will contribute to the success and growth of both- the organization and the customers.

Increasingly, consumers are becoming aware of their right and choices, and place more emphasis on how they want to be served. With an increase in the number of knowledgeable consumers; the yard sticks for measuring what constitutes quality service in today’s business is broadened and should be turned into powerful competitive weapon. Customers all over the world expect help, support, consideration and respect. They want to be treated in a special way with compassion and dignity; they seek an attitude of friendliness and professionalism.

Conventional wisdom says –an organization must have satisfied customers if it is to survive, but today, organization are realizing that satisfying customers may not be enough. The human resources role in building customer loyalty is stated in the BSN phase manual as a process of ‘managing your human resources (your people), in a way that makes them perform in the best way possible in other to achieve desire goals and output’. Employee behavior is another important factor in a service company, as they connect the organization with its customers and represent a critical factor in developing effective working relationships with customers. Negative employee behavior has ruined many businesses and cost employers millions of dollars every day. It also has the consequence of driving away customers has well as damaging employee motivation.

To the end, organizations that are hopeful of making a difference must begin with their internal customers. If the desired output of an organization is to induce loyalty from customers, they must give employees a sense of mission, purpose, and value to work in. Furthermore, organisations should take a critical look at their service gaps and have a deeper appreciation of the link between the organisations perception of great customer service and the actual expectations of the customers. Quality Customer Service Management should be seen as the important strategic tool to address gaps and improve or enrich customer quality service delivery in order to meet the overall goal of an organization.

 

Ms Halima Saa’diya Umar graduated her MBA from BSN in 2012 and is a certified customer service leader and trainer from the Quality Service Institute in Minnesota USA.