We have all heard about it, experienced it, and may have been a part of it. It seems its now just a business buzz word. So, what is "Customer Service"?
To me, customer service is anything a company does to make a customer feel more welcome and comfortable doing business with that company. It can be anything from complementary robes at hotels to fixing a wrong order at a restaurant. Panera Bread is a fascinating example. One thing they pride themselves in is "Panera Warmth". Panera Warmth is having the right atmosphere, helpful associates, and a devotion to fixing mistakes. For example, if a customer orders a sandwich and it was made improperly, the customer can keep that one and the production team will make an entirely new one for them. Is it giving away food? Kind of, yes. However, the cost of a sandwich is worth preserving that relationship with the customer. Essentially, $1.25 in ingredients can ensure future investments of far more than that. That is smart customer service.
The unfortunate thing is most people do not realize when they are being "served". People may remember good customer service, but they will definitely remember bad customer service. As a college student who looks for deals on books and supplies, I run into companies like Pearson who have terrible customer service. It is a chore to contact them and a struggle to get the issues resolved. To this day, I have several problems I have not been able to remedy because their customer service is just...bad.
Companies should invest heavily into having open forms of communication for their customers. What tends to happen is by failing to correct customer service problems, companies lose even more business for the future. It is not just a buzz word. Having awesome customer service can make or break your company.
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