Customer Service Contact and Relationship Management

What is good customer service? This is a question that raises its head on a regular basis in every business. You will encounter it with young and old concerning their problems with angry customers and their complaints about how it "used to be". So, the classic question of, "What is good customer service" proves to be an important one for new businesses and old.

If you talk to the pros in the business, they will certainly provide some guidelines.

The question, "What is good customer service" is certainly not going anywhere. And of course, there are certain rules to abide by when considering this stressful but extremely important area of your business. The first rule is, of course, to put the customer first. Regardless of conflicting opinions, it isn't called customer service trivially. Whether you're working in retail or food service, you want to take care of the customer as best you can. An equally important rule, in my experience, is always respond as quickly as possible. If you have a customer, don't make them wait. Being busy is NOT an acceptable excuse; you must at least quickly acknowledge the customer's presence. This way your customer feels like you care, and haven't ignored them on purpose. A third important rule concerns attitude. Always be polite, surround them with kindness. Sure, you will get those customers who treat you poorly or show disrespect, but in my experience if you respond with kindness, they often get confused and end up feeling like a jerk. Back to the question, "What is good customer service?" If nothing else, it is treating your patrons with respect.

If you've ever had a credit card representative or a sales person call you on the phone, then you understand the self control that goes along with customer service. These workers have to call you to make a living, and no matter how rude you are, they have to keep a cool head. This is what makes good customer service.

My father often tells me that customer service has gone down hill. I think that there is a combination of things happening here. While many people, who typically have never waited tables or worked in a grocery store, will tell you that employees are lazy and inconsiderate, I have to admit that many times it is the customer who simply expects too much, and is rude about getting it. Many people don't want to wait in line or pay a certain price, which often has nothing to do with the employee. In the end it comes down to patience. Patience for the customer service rep and for the patron. As long as the employee is kind and prompt in his/her work, the customer should remain happy. This is what makes good customer service.