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Best Practices In Customer Service

We can learn a lot by looking at what successful companies do differently to gain their customer service reputations, looking both at what is done well, and the opposite - we can learn from the errors and mistakes of organizations too.

In this section we'll look at best practices in customer service.

One caution. Generally, it's not possible to copy or emulate what another company does, because your company is NOT that company. So, for example, you might want to emulate Zappos, a company renowned for its customer service, but the problem is you aren't Zappos, and in essence you can succeed doing what they do unless you ARE them, with their values, culture, personnel, and niche. So with that in mind, let's look at best practices in customer service.

Looking At Customer Service Best Practices

Achieving Excellent Service Design - by Derek Stockley
The author suggests that good customer service should be 'seamless'. That is, a service provided should be consistently unmemorable. This may be seem counter-intuitive to a customer service design, but you can learn a valuable customer service lesson by reading this article. (Added: 4-May-2006 Hits: 1358 )

Why Isn't Customer Service Better? - by Dr. John T. Self
The current customer service paradigm is dead, claims the author. A new paradigm should be created. See exactly what the author means when you read the article. (Added: 14-Dec-2004 Hits: 994 )

Setting and Measuring Service Standards - by Peggy Morrow
In this excerpt from Customer Service -- the Key to Your Competitive Edge, author Peggy Morrow gives us an inside look at the customer service improvement strategy of retailer Revco Drug Stores. (Added: 10-Apr-2006 Hits: 862 )

Using Your POS Software to Electrify Marketing - by Jeff Haefner
If your company is selling products and services and is using POS software, you'll want to take a look at this article. Plenty of ideas are listed within that will help you stay in contact with your customers and have those customers remain loyal to your business. (Added: 13-Dec-2004 Hits: 510 )

How May I Help You? - by Lucy McCauley
You already know that the customer is always right, right? But these days -- given the speed and interactivity of the Internet, the explosion of customer choice, the emergence of new competitive pressures, and the constant expansion of customers' expectations for service -- just giving customers what they want isn't enough. You also have to anticipate needs, to solve problems before they start, to provide service that wows, and to offer responses to mistakes that more than make up for the original error. To find out what it takes to deliver great customer service, Fast Company asked 15 experts for their insights. Here are their answers to the question: (Added: 7-Mar-2005 Hits: 2173 )

Fast Growth, Great Service - by Charles Fishman
Learn how the company called Convergys became successful and earned a reputation for great customer service. In a period of diminished hopes and slower growth, Convergys is a change of pace -- a company that's growing fast without sacrificing service. And it better not: service is its business. (Added: 2-Mar-2005 Hits: 638 )

A Heartbreaking Gesture of Staggering Kindness - by Keith M. Hammonds
Read how the author was treated to great customer service. The author was not even a customer before this act of kindness. This is a good lesson to keep in mind when you want to improve customer service or let someone know your definition of customer service. (Added: 1-Mar-2005 Hits: 1548 )

Everyone Represents Your Company - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
The author relates a story telling of her two different experience with two different employess working at the same parking garage. This article serves as a reminder that while everyone does represent your company, some representatives need a little training in the fine art of customer service. (Added: 13-Dec-2004 Hits: 1413 )

How to Add Value to Customer Relationships - by Craig Woirhaye
An organization is truly customer driven when it properly manages information, makes that information available to the right people, and trains its staff to use that to build relationship value. pop (Added: 10-Apr-2006 Hits: 4123 )

...Or Your Money Back - by Dee Gill
Offering a $5,000 warranty on a $50 product sounds insane, especially when you know plenty of customers will take you up on it. But for Matthew Smith, whose shoe company has honored that warranty for nearly a decade, that gutsy promise was the smartest move he ever made. (Added: 10-Apr-2006 Hits: 992 )

Service With A Smile - by Kim T. Gordon
WITH SO much attention being paid to marketing new products, entrepreneurs building service businesses may feel overlooked. The truth is, marketing a service can be tricky. For some companies, success depends on creating a bundled offering that includes the features customers or clients want most. For others, it's all about differentiating based on customer satisfaction, with heavy emphasis on testimonials and ongoing customer input. (Added: 6-Mar-2006 Hits: 1128 )

Big banks have to think small to give best customer service - by Andy Fixmer
National and major regional banks long have argued that they can provide the same high level of customer service, but at a lower cost. Still, small banks persist by going after slivers of the market, as well as clients who demand personal attention. (Added: 6-Mar-2006 Hits: 527 )

Pope of Customer Service - by Polly LaBarre
Ireland's "Pope of Customer Service" dominates his market -- and continues to beat bigger rivals -- with a leadership philosophy that is at once folksy and radical. Behind all his success is one big question: How do we convince our customers to come back? (Added: 7-Mar-2005 Hits: 1407 )

How to...manage customer expectations - by Jason Compton
Making the sale is paramount, but no customer relationship will stand the test of time unless it is built on a sustainable cycle of give-and-take, with clearly defined roles for each party. Surprises and inequities are not the stuff of long-term engagements. Follow these four steps to ensure that your customers know what you will do for them--and what is not a reasonable expectation. pop (Added: 14-Apr-2005 Hits: 3720 )

Entrepreneur: Most valuable players - customer service - by Joshua Kurlantzick
Slashing prices to keep up with the big chains can spell disaster for the average entrepreneur. It's better to stick with what your business does best: offering value-added services. (Added: 6-Mar-2006 Hits: 672 )

The Cubic Zirconia Rule - by Dr. John T. Self
The cubic zirconia rule is not one to follow if you are truly interested in providing the best in customer service. In other words, your company may look like it is interested in providing customer service, but a few key aspects are missing. Read the article and determine if your corporation is just going through the customer service motions. (Added: 14-Dec-2004 Hits: 2144 )

How Dell Sells on the Web - by Lisa Chadderdon
It's no secret that Dell Computer Corp. sells lots of PCs on the Web. But what's the secret of its success? How it builds relationships with its online customers. (Added: 7-Mar-2005 Hits: 724 )

Your Two Customer Service Questions - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
You're already aware, I hope, that each and every employee of your company is a "customer service representative," no matter what the job description says. Read this terrific customer-service story, and then consider the two questions at the end. pop (Added: 13-Dec-2004 Hits: 4283 )

Customer Service: Lessons Learned - by Mike McKinley
The author talks about how to learn the best lessons in customer service. Solid advice that won't cost a cent. You don't have to hire an expert when you follow his advice. (Added: 25-Mar-2010 Hits: 622 )

6 Ways to Find Out What Your Customers Think - by Eric Garner
You may deliver the best service in the world. But if it is not what people want, you're wasting your time. Implement one, two, three or all of the these techniques, and your service and product will improve overnight. (Added: 19-Apr-2006 Hits: 1969 )