Customer service

Customer service is the attention and care a business provides to a customer before, during, and after a transaction. In modern times, the term customer service often evokes the idea of a special location or phone number where a customer seeks assistance with a question or concern. However, the overall concept of customer service encompasses every interaction between a customer and business. This includes the ease to connect with a business, ability to locate a business, and treatment the customer receives from the business. Customer service is important because good service makes it more likely customers will return. Poor customer service may cause potential customers to avoid a business. In both cases, customers are likely to tell others about their experiences with a business.

Background

Customer service has been part of business transactions since the first humans began engaging in trade. The British Museum contains a clay tablet with the first recorded customer complaint. The ancient Babylonian complaint is dated to about 1750 B.C.E. A merchant named Nanni wrote to complain that the copper ore he ordered was damaged and of poor quality when it was received.

Throughout time, customer service was straightforward. Much business was conducted in person or with an intermediary who worked on behalf of one of the parties, as appears to have been the case with Nanni and the copper ore. People often saw what they were getting before they purchased it. When customers had complaints, they dealt directly with the business owner. The owner then decided what to do—if anything at all— to satisfy the customer. In the age of small craftsman-owned and -operated businesses, the owner often resolved complaints. For example, if a customer who bought a table complained of loose leg, the owner repaired the item.

The onset of the Industrial Age and the development of new technology changed the nature of customer service in the 1800s. Businesses grew larger and began to sell items that were manufactured by companies other than themselves. Increasingly, merchants found themselves caught between the manufacturers who considered transactions finished and final and unhappy customers. The merchants had to decide what they were willing to do to resolve issues and restore the satisfaction and trust of their customers. Sometimes the merchants told customers to contact manufacturers, who then either answered or ignored the issue.

The invention of the telephone in 1876 had a huge impact on customer service. Businesses began to adopt the technology, and more people had access to phones. For the first time, customer service could take place immediately and not in person. However, it was difficult for a business to ignore a customer since no way existed to determine who was calling and if that person had an issue.

By 1894, telephones had gained much popularity, and the first switchboards came into use. Companies could easily have multiple lines, which allowed more than one person to call at one time. Increasingly, customer service continued to take place in this semi-personal environment. It was not until the 1960s, however, that companies began to add staff dedicated to customer service. New technology helped to make this possible.

Touch-tone dialing began to replace rotary phones, and this allowed computers to answer and route calls. Another key development came in 1967, when the first toll-free 1-800 phone numbers were developed. Prior to this, customers often had to place expensive long-distance calls to reach many companies. This made it more difficult for customers to contact companies and thwarted some people from lodging complaints.

In the years that followed, advances in technology allowed customer service centers to grow rapidly. Interactive voice response technology—the earliest version of automated answering "robots"—was developed during the 1970s, and the use of "outsourcing," or call centers in foreign countries, began in the late 1980s. The creation of the Internet revolutionized customer service. Not only could people look up information about a company and its products online, but also they could engage in chats and e-mails with businesses. Customers could upload images of faulty products to help facilitate customer service interactions. The advent of social media in the twenty-first century helped to give customers even more access to customer service, as they were able to quickly and easily share information about products and how companies treated their customers.

Overview

The technology and means used to communicate with a customer are only one part of the customer service equation. A number of factors help companies provide the type of service and satisfaction that will retain customers and encourage them to speak positively about experiences. Companies that focus on these factors have an advantage over ones that do not. In addition, employees who help their company promote these characteristics are valuable assets.

Accessibility is important for good customer service. A company should set hours that accommodate most customers. For example, a business that is only open for a few hours on certain days may alienate customers who are not available during these hours. The company should also be easy to reach by phone and properly staffed when a customer visits.

Responsiveness is another key trait in customer service. If a customer has an issue, a company interested in providing good customer service should offer a solution in a timely manner and provide a resolution that meets the customer's needs. A business should persist in resolving the problem until the customer is satisfied.

A company interested in good customer service should proactively work to prevent issues by adequately testing products; training staff to be knowledgeable, attentive, and efficient; and reviewing policies and procedures to determine if improvements can be made. For instance, a garage that offers oil changes may survey employees to determine what hours are most the convenient and then adjust their business hours to accommodate early mornings or late evenings. Efforts such as these make customers feel as if their patronage is valued and their needs are important, fulfilling the definition of good customer service.

Bibliography

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