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At a time when almost all companies, large and small, seem to be concentrating on improving the bottom line by implementing cost reduction strategies, it appears that many are neglecting perhaps the most important aspect that clients expect: customer service.  While good customer service hardly every gets recognized, poor customer service gains recognition everywhere you turn: from the person at a store asking to speak to a manager as the result of interaction with a disinterested associate, to a poor tip left at a restaurant due to slow or incorrect service, to the forum post out of frustration from being on hold for what seems like an eternity before getting a live person, to the simple conversation between friends complaining about the lack of planning and service available at the mall on a Sunday afternoon. 

It is no secret that happy customers are repeat customers, and that one bad experience left unresolved (or even resolved but unsatisfactorily in the customer's eyes) can drive a customer to a competitor.  The key to retaining and even growing a customer base is superior customer service.  Yet, time and again companies seem intent on neglecting this most important component: extended hold times and difficult to navigate telephone menus, poorly trained or even incompetent representatives (every employee represents the company), outsourcing jobs to countries with poor phone line reception or poor grasp of the English language, unwritten or hidden policies, and even ignoring customers altogether.  Any one of those instances or a myriad of other will drive away business, and perhaps worse cause the customer to spread the word of such a distasteful experience.

In an age where new can spread like wildfire, the last thing  a business needs is to be bad-mouthed.  A bad experience can be relayed before the event even has a chance to unfold in its entirety thanks to cell phones.  News of the event can be across the country or even halfway around the world via blog or forum postings.  Upper-management can receive word of a truly bad experience from the customer almost immediately through an e-mail.  There are numerous ways in which such events can be publicized by even the most "insignificant" of customers--and there are businesses that do view customers in such a manner based on amount of money spent or number of repeat purchases.  Everything can be tracked these days.

The keys to retaining and growing a customer base are simple and do not take much effort to implement:

• Train company representatives in all aspects of their duties as well as other duties they might be required to undertake




• Instill a culture of "customer-first", whereby each customer is treated as the most important person at that particular moment




• Encourage company representatives to take the initiative to resolve  potential problems before they are allowed to develop




• Make it easy for customers to contact the company in the event of an issue arising and ensure that the representatives are equipped to deal with those issues

It is not a cost-intensive or difficult process to ensure that customer service is a top priority.  In fact, it may be as simple as giving the customer a warm smile and showing appreciation for their business.  And, above all, let them know that they are valued and desired, because without the customer, there is no business.

Eric J. Nisall is the President and founder of Greenbridge Advisors where providing value to clients and building personal relationships are the company's main focus. Visit www.greenbridgeadvisors.com for more information on the company. The company's blogs, letsblogmoney.com and letsblogbusiness.com are other insightful resources for personal financial and business information.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Customer Service Should Never Take a Back Seat in Any Environment