Services Marketing

Chapter 20 : Developing and Managing the Customer-Service Function

Customer-Service Definition
Improving Customer-Service
Divide the Basic Service into Separate Service Activities
Conduct Periodic Surveys
Provide Necessary Infrastructure and Advanced Technology
Track Changes in the External Environment
Technology to Improve Customer-Service

The Customer-Service Management Cycle

Stage1 :
Understand the Customer
Stage 2 :
Set Customer Service Standards
Stage 3 :
Encourage Team Work and Customer-orientation among Employees
Stage 4 : Establish Control Systems
Stage 5 :
Prevent Problems rather than Fixing them

Offering Supplementary Services in Addition to Core Service

Enhancing Customer-Service through Improved Service Delivery Process

Factors Influencing Service Delivery

Steps to Implement an Effective Customer-Service Program

Chapter Summary

Customer service may be defined as a process in which an organization consistently offers what the customer wants. To improve customer service, organizations should divide the existing service into different service activities and set service standards for each activity, conduct customer surveys periodically, provide the necessary infrastructure and advanced technology, monitor changes in the environment and introduce changes in the service delivery process of the organization.

Today's organizations are leveraging technology extensively to improve their customer service. Improving customer service is a never ending process for an organization and is represented in the form of the customer-service management cycle. The various phases of this cycle include understanding customers, establishing service standards, encouraging team work and customer orientation, establishing control systems and preventing problems rather than fixing them.

Many organizations offer several supplementary services in addition to their core service, to enhance the overall experience of the customer. Organizations can also enhance customer service by improving the service delivery process. Improvement of the service delivery process of an organization depends on various factors like who sells the service, do service personnel need to interact with the customer often, who hires the service, how long the service takes, how flexible the service provider's capacity is, how frequently the service is purchased, how complex the service is, and what is the extent of risk involved?

The steps that have to be followed by organizations to implement an effective customer service program in the organization include placing the right person in the right job, administering training programs, serving the information needs of customers, resolving problems quickly, standardizing service delivery mechanisms, fixing reasonable prices for services, outsourcing some activities, attempting to prevent problems and evaluating employee performance.

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