For those currently working in the field, developing a customer service mindset helps foster a proper understanding of the profession, making it easier to set personal development goals during the work process, while also creating greater value for the brand they are working for.
Regarding businesses, all that customer-centric thinking aims to do is enhance the customer experience and successfully retain them.
In this era of intense competition, in order to retain customers and turn them into loyal customers, in addition to product quality, businesses must provide customers with excellent customer service.
CS stands for Customer Service: Customer service.
People often think that customer service means serving customers, or caring for customers, or a place to interact with customers. But that's not entirely accurate.
What exactly is customer service?
Customer service consists of three elements: service, support, and care.
- Services: These are the things that businesses provide to customers to create value for them. For example: 24/7 call center, ticket counter service, delivery service, shuttle service.
- Service: It is an attitude of serving customers to bring them joy. For example: Respectful, polite, cheerful, kind, etc.
- Care: It is an act of caring for customers and meeting their needs. This action must be carried out regularly. Example: The call center agent correctly addresses the needs of customers who contact the call center.
To provide good customer service, it is essential to do all three of the above well at three points in time: Before, during, and after sales To achieve the ultimate goal of increasing customer satisfaction, creating long-term loyalty to the brand, thereby increasing revenue.
How will customers evaluate the quality of the service?
The service is not physical in nature. Customers will evaluate the quality of the service based on their perceptions and feelings about the experience they receive.
When experiencing a service, customers often make comments such as: I really like it, it's really great, I'm very happy, I feel reassured, or "I'm still angry about it."
What is customer experience?
Customer experience These are the emotions that remain after all their interactions with the brand, evaluated by their feelings. Emotions play a decisive role in determining whether an experience is terrible or wonderful, while also showing you the level of service that a business is providing.
To clarify, please learn about Ron Kaufman's service level scale.
Ron Kaufman's service levels
The image above is the service level scale proposed by Ron Kaufman. From this, you can analyze customer emotions and behaviors according to each service level provided by the business.
Green staircase diagram: Display service levels
Purple staircase diagram: Reflect the emotions and behaviors of customers when they receive corresponding service levels.
Levels.
- For poor service levels: This is a service that customers never want to use again or resort to a more uncontrollable behavior than boycotting. Because the emotion they feel is frustration and discomfort.
- Basic service level: Here, the company is providing customers with a service that falls short of expectations. Therefore, customers' feelings are disappointment, leading to the behavior of not using the service anymore.
- Average service level: Here, the company is providing customers with a service that is acceptable but still below expectations. Customers can still continue to use it because there are no better alternatives or substitutes.
- Expected service level: Service quality meets the requirements and criteria set by customers. Their feelings are normal, as this is the default quality that businesses must achieve. Customers will return to use the service again.
- Unexpected service level: Delivering service quality that meets customer expectations, while offering unique features that delight customers. Customers will return to use the service repeatedly.
- Unbelievable service level: This is the highest level. Here, customers receive an experience that exceeds their expectations, is highly surprising, and even makes them think that the business would never do this for them. Customers will feel amazing, perhaps even saying "WOW," and they will never forget the brand, while also spreading the word about this experience to many people.
Service levels are like challenges for businesses. If you understand their importance and benefits in business, you will constantly strive to climb to the highest levels.
But when you reach the top of the ladder, are you safe? The answer is no.
A good service today may become ordinary tomorrow, because customer needs change and your competitors are constantly evolving and innovating. Therefore, continuously innovate and upgrade your services to perfection so that you don't fall behind.
Next topic: Customer experience journey and how to map the customer experience.
