Effective Operations Development: Customer Service

Customers are the end users for whom the products and services are made for. The satisfaction of the consumer is paramount to the business. The higher the satisfaction that a consumer derives from a product or service, the more of the service will be used in the future. This leads to brand loyalty and high recommendation of the products of the business. 

Training of employees, the use of market research, quality assurance, control and standards are used to achieve the high expectation of customers. 

Qualitative market research is used to investigate the customer attitudes and views and was discussed earlier in this course. 

Ultimate customer satisfaction can only be achieved through a process of monitoring the levels of satisfaction and benefits which the customer receives from the usage of a product or service. It involves informal feedback from customer, the use of customer questionnaires, employee feedback on observation, complaints and concerns of customers, mystery shopping, complaint and compliment evaluation from customers. 

Evaluation and improving customer service can be achieved through an assessment of the following levels of compliment and complaints, levels of sales, staff turnover, new customers, customer recommendations, repeat customers who are satisfied with products.

Business that understand the importance of customer satisfaction, take seriously every measure that make the use of its services and products the ultimate satisfactory experience for the customer. It has a wide range of benefits for the business. 

An increase in the reputation and goodwill of the business, consumer confidence in the business, increase in the profitability of the business, increase in the level of sales, reduction in costs of advertising, happy and content customers. 

In addition to the above, the business must take adequate precautionary measures that will prevent any unwarranted situations and accidents or anything that could pose a risk to the customer. Health and safety measure are important and need to be actively embraced by the organisation, increasingly some organisations are winning and losing orders based upon their health and safety record.