Define Customer Service

Customer service is considered a necessity by most service and retail businesses. Supporting customers through the process of selecting, purchasing, and maintaining a product or service can be done by hiring knowledgeable employees, providing online or telephone support, offering generous return policies, or including warranties that guarantee customer satisfaction.

Regulated industries, such as aviation and cable television, may have a governing body that determines the customer service standards. Government run programs and services at the federal, state, and local level will also frequently have customer service standards set by a committee or board which oversees operations.

Private corporations and companies are often left to set their own customer service expectations. Companies will often study their clientele’s expectations through market research and public relations and create a policy based upon their findings. Policies are taught to employees during training and may also be posted for the consumer to read in a public area, such as a website or in the customer service area. These policies foster public goodwill towards companies and increase customer return.

For years, the basic policy of many companies was a variation on the idea that “the customer is always right.” However, recent headlines have shown that companies have started to balk at this simplified idea of customer service, as they face increasingly difficult demands from consumers and higher costs for company service operations. During the summer of 2007, Sprint cancelled the contracts of customers who called the service hotline too often, saying they were unable to meet the needs of these subscribers. The concept of “firing” customers for becoming too high maintenance is relatively new and has been met with criticism by consumers and corporate competition alike.

Critiques of customer service policies and practices have popped up on the Internet. From private blogs to entire websites devoted to praise and complaints, there is no shortage of resources for a potential consumer to check before doing business with a particular company. Organized awards or listings of noteworthy companies are complied by large newsgroups, while research studies regarding customer service relations continue to be popular for company, consumer, and academic audiences alike. To learn more about customer service, visit these websites:

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