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Samaantha Ryner
Professor Harrier
ENC 0025C
March 27th, 2014
The Customer Is Always Right
As I sit in my car mentally preparing myself for another day at work, I think to myself that I have been in the customer service field for a long time. I was 19 years old when I was hired for my first retail job. I couldn’t help but wonder about all the people I have interacted with, and the impact that some have made in my life. It’s extremely hard to remember every single customer, but the most memorable, I’ve put into these categories: parents who don’t care, the technology lover, the complainer, the needy and indecisive, and the mood brightener.
The parents who don’t care are customers who usually have the most unruly children, yet they browse the store like there is no tomorrow or as a technology lover (which I will explain next). These customers do not have any type of control over their children. They don’t see or hear their children tearing apart the store, scaring other customers, and breaking everything in sight. This usually leads to one of the sales associates bringing it to the a...
Carl Sewell’s book “Customers for Life” is devoted to teaching the businessperson of today ways in which they can turn one-time buyers into customers for life. He states that every customer has the ability to be worth 332,000 dollars to your business if you can keep them for life. Mr. Sewell is the number selling luxury automobile dealer in the country. He started from the bottom and manipulated his automobile business into a 250,000,000-dollar business. In his book he explains the things that he has found to work for his business in great detail so that you may also apply them to your business. The entire book revolves around these 10 commandments to customer service:
Having prior knowledge of a customers needs, habits, and questions before or during every interaction and transaction can boost customer satisfaction. (Zueschner, Raymond. (1997). Communicating Today. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Many adults also hold onto the ideal that teenagers and children are the people who are rude and inconsiderate to those who work in retail. However, this is commonly not the truth. Many times, the stories are all about middle-aged and elderly people who are not helped immediately or are not able to find what they were looking for. Generally, teens and children by themselves are respectful and patient when things go awry at the register or
Service wins the game.” As Tony Allesandra states, in order to have+ a successful business, customer service must remain a priority. It is also proven that shoppers are more likely to return to retailers with good customer service over those without. This past summer, my mothers’ best friend was getting married, so my mom and I drove to the mall. Once we had found a parking spot, we both walked towards Banana Republic; I began to walk faster, as if I was being pulled like a magnet, and threw inspiring words back to my mother to pick up her pace. In no time, my mother and I were walking through Banana Republics’ entrance. The greeter said hello and asked us if we were looking for anything in particular. I told the greeter- named Lacey- about my mothers’ issue of not having a dress to wear. Lacey immediately noted my moms’ height and age which would narrow her down her choices, yet she still ended up finding several options that both my mother and I loved. With the help of Lacey, the hardest part of this shopping trip was trying to decide which dresses to put back; my mom ended up wearing lovely textured grey dress that fell just above the knee accompanied with a modest v-shaped neckline. Banana Republic not only made a sell with their superior customer service, but they also gained the trust of my family and free advertisement because my mother now recommends Banana Republic to all her friends. In
First, when shopping, a big factor that will impact a customer 's experience is the customer service. Whether it’s from a simple “hello”, or an employee going out
He made his employees feel as if working at the stores was an abyss of opportunities. He taught them customer approach, which involved looking the customer in the eye, greeting them and finally inquiring how the employees could assist the customer (Williams, 2007). Today the company...
Customer service is valued as a competitive tool by many organisations. It gives you the ability to gain customer loyalty while meeting the customer’s expectations. Staff will have many skills and knowledge that will provide a competitive edge. Most organisations are known for the quality of their customer service. This means that they are known for good customer service or poor customer service. However, being known for good customer service will attract customers. It will also attract customers who are usually hard to reach.
The saying, “the customer is always right” isn’t always necessarily true. Most of the time, the sales associated is correct. However, it is still important to treat costumers with respect, even when they are wrong. Another important skill to have in order to survive retail is to remain patient with costumers. It can be frustrating when a customer messes up a display or leaves clothes on the dressing room floor. Dealing with grumpy customers can also be challenging. Nonetheless, a worker must remain calm and accept that the job entails sometimes dealing with difficult situations and
In conclusion, the competent and considerate shopper is at the mercy of the three types of annoying shoppers. Unfortunately, tickets are not issued for parking thoughtlessly, driving shopping carts recklessly, blocking aisle traffic needlessly, or treating others arrogantly. However, armed with the knowledge of the habits of Hurry Harry, Suburban Sally, and Picky Pet, the average consumer may avoid a head-on collision, and possibly survive a trip to the grocery store. To be on the safe side, shoppers should reread their warranty; written in small print is a clause covering ten thousand miles or one shopping trip, whichever comes first.
Providing great customer service and having the ability to retain customers require consistency in delivering the anticipated services. Customer service encompasses having the ability to provide a service or product to customers by means in which it was promised. However, there are times when unforeseen circumstances may occur, resulting in customer service breakdowns. Understanding the effectiveness of customer service relations provides the assurance needed to handle complicated service related issues. A well qualified customer service representative has the acquired skill to effectively defuse a potentially damaging service related matter. Service recovery influences customer retention and improves customer satisfaction.
a) Good customer service is a critical component of a quality product. Collier (2011) states that service needs to be consistent, continuous, thoughtful and available. These are crucial in meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Collier also continues on to state that staff providing customer service must have appropriate skills, knowledge and personal attributes to execute a high standard of service. These skills have been identified by Collier as listening skills, punctuality, courtesy, integrity and grooming. The skills and qualities identified are reflected by the five key components of customer service tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The five components have been provided by the SERVQUAL service measuring
Customer service by definition is the ability of knowledgeable, capable, and enthusiastic employees to deliver products and services to their internal and external customers in a manner that satisfies identified and unidentified needs and ultimately results in positive word-of-mouth publicity and return business (Lucas, 2012, pg.7). In other words, it’s making the customer pleased so that they keep doing business with you all while making sure that the employees get along and work together well. In every business there is a form of customer service. Unfortunately, it is not always excellent or even decent. Some businesses just either don’t care or possibly just don’t have the training to deal with some of the obstacles that come with dealing with customers on a daily basis. I’ve been in the restaurant business for over 13 years and I can tell you that there are skills that some are born with and others need training on, yet either way they should be used whenever interacting with customers.
A few decades ago, businesses considered customer service as an unnecessary expense. Now, companies view it as a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Wasserman, Michael. 15 Techniques When Dealing With Customers. My Success Company. 25 January 2005. .
Customer Relationships is about building a relationship of trust and convenience. A customer wants the company they are working with to be intuitive. To know their needs before they do. They want to feel respected, they need to believe you are honest and have integrity. This relationship breeds comfort and familiarity and causes the consumer to continue to do business with your company. This relationship that is built develops a personal relationship, like a friendship and it is one that the consumer cannot get from the store down the road and it is that personal touch of sincerity, of knowing their needs, of servitude that will turn them into lifelong branded customers.