Customer Service ? the art of doing business ? Northern Arizona ...

Not only is customer service vitally important, but indeed it is the art of customer service that dictates the success and longevity of a business.

Here?s the hot potato issue. Over the 4^th of July holiday an acquaintance had two occasions to eat out. One was a birthday celebration for which he had reservations. It took a long time for the food to arrive and when the meals were brought to the table they were told that they had run out of baked potatoes. They only got a, ?sorry we ran out and pick something else,? and no other compensation or explanation.

Also over the holiday my acquaintance and a companion went to a much smaller restaurant and ordered sandwiches and fries. A mistake was made and the companion was given coleslaw. As the restaurant was exceptionally busy, it was quite a while before this was corrected. They were given an apology from the waiter and the owner and were charged for only one of the meals.

Does my acquaintance have any inclination to revisit the first restaurant? Don?t bet on it. And all over a hot potato and a glaring lack of customer service. And will he and the others with him tell people about their experiences with the two restaurants? Of course!

The lesson in this story for a business person, whether you are a service provider, a retailer or an on-line company, is that customer service is the sustaining force for your business.

Charles Hannabarger, Frederick Buchman, and Peter Economy (www.dummies.com) write in their article, Mastering the Art of Customer Service, ?The modern customer is a pretty savvy consumer. He or she hears what you say and promise and then watches closely to see if you deliver. You?ve probably had some experiences as a customer in which a company?s walk didn?t match its talk, and you probably took your business elsewhere. In your business, you have to continually find out whether you?re delivering the things you promise to your customers. It?s natural to want to promise your customers the world, but you can?t do so unless you know that you can deliver the world.?

In an article for www.voices.yahoo.com D.J. Schwab says, ?Without customers you really don?t have a business. If this is the case, why is it mostly everyone as consumers can easily cite examples of poor customer service in their daily lives? I believe every company either has or thinks it has good customer service. However, if certain steps are not taken to ensure this, the reality of their situation is often far worse than their current perceptions.?

Schwab continues, ?In any organization the commitment to customer service begins at the top. The company?s leaders must buy into the fact that they not only need to meet their customer?s expectations, but actually strive to exceed them. They must develop a company culture that understands this concept. In today?s world competition is tougher than ever. If you can?t provide goods or services when somebody wants them, there are often four or five other companies ready to fill this void. You rarely get a second chance once you drop the ball. If the company?s leaders do not accept this fact, or are not willing to provide the necessary resources to meet their customer?s needs, they will soon find themselves scrambling for business.?

In today?s high tech world statistics show that customers give their repeat business to companies that provide top notch customer service and this shows in the success and prominence of the businesses that excel in service.

Ask your SCORE counselor to work with you on a good customer service policy. If you have employees, make sure they are aware of what you expect for your clients and be sure to emphasize the importance of this policy.

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Source: http://scorenaz.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/customer-service-the-art-of-doing-business/

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