I feel as though the definition of customer service and client relations has changed. At least it has changed from when I was young, and first thought about what the concept means.
It use to be an all encompassing philosophy that a brand or business would incorporate into the way they do business, how they interact with their customers and clients, and how they want to be perceived by the public in general. It meant offering stellar products and services, treating your customers and clients like they are important, and doing what you could to establish ongoing and long term relationships with them. It was a way to show them, at every step along the way, that they are important and that you appreciate them.
Now, it seems to have been morphed into an endless stream of individual customer service surveys, given at the end of a phone call or at the end of one interaction between a business and a client. Often times, if it’s a phone call, the customer has called in with a problem with the service or product. That part seems to get lost along the way. If the product or service were working as it should, the call would be unnecessary. This is better customer service than offering a survey at the end of a call.
Customer service and customer relations begins long before anyone has bought your product or service, though. It’s all about planting seeds, from the beginning, and all along the way, that show people how much you appreciate them, showing respect, and nurturing long term relationships. It’s a mindset and it’s all encompassing.
I’m putting together a series of posts that are going to address the importance of client relations, what customer service means, and how to nurture ongoing communication with clients.
If there are any of you who have any questions you feel you might want addressed or have any stories or situations where you feel you either offered or received great (or terrible!) customer service, I would love to hear those! Please email me HERE.
And, be sure and stay tuned! You can join my email list to get updates on the posts as they come out HERE.