Customer service is not always crucial to the success of a company. Its importance is determined primarily by supply & demand. If there are few suppliers and many consumers, suppliers can dictate the terms of the service relationship and customers may have no choice but to accept it.
Most companies, however, are not so lucky because competition has destroyed the high horses of all but a few protected markets.
So, where competition does flourish, customer service is essential to the company’s long-term viability. It must be central to its overall success strategy. After all, a company can outperform rivals only if it can establish a difference that it can preserve. Customer service is just such a difference.
Few companies are able to excel at customer service, because it is very difficult to control. For example, left to itself, the level of service may vary greatly between two waiters in the same restaurant. One support specialist may offer great service to one customer, and then aggravate the very next person that calls in. This difficulty is compounded when you have a multi-person, multi-departmental operation. In addition to variability within these units, you also have variability among units.
This is both the challenge and the opportunity. The consistent delivery of superior service requires the careful design and execution of a whole system of activities that includes people, capital, technology, and processes. The few companies that can manage this system do stand out, and are sought after. But although it does require an almost heroic effort to build and maintain such a system, it's not so hard to get it started. Service today is in such a sorry state that it doesn't take much to surprise most customers, and to make them want to come back for more. Make a commitment to provide stellar customer service and get organized by implementing a quality BPM Suite to ensure this success.
A BPM Suite facilitates the management of clients and service requests providing full visibility into the status and processing of requests. Moreover, it provides an easy-to-use interface designed for collaboration among teams and team members, ensuring your clients are getting the best service possible in a time efficient manner.
By leveraging the tools of a BPM Suite, you'll be doing your whole industry a favor. Unlike selling or price competition, which will eventually sink all players, competing on the basis of service is one of those tides that lifts all boats.
Relevant Links:
BPM Rules and Alerts - Helping Avoid Process Hiccups
Keeping Your Customers Happy- How BPM Can Help
BPM- A Sustainable Strategy for Your Company
Julie Jones
Manager – North American Customer Support
Ultimus
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