9 Customer Service Principles Essential for Any Business

How do you apply your customer service principles in practice? Did you even list your principles?

Customer service is paramount for every business, whether it´s online or offline. That´s why customer service principles are so important.

Being a member of an online service provider (Karma CRM), Sarika Periwal knows what it means to apply them.

I agree with his Principles, but if had written them I would have called the first one Leadership and embedded commitment in it. This is the most critical one: No organization rises above the level of its Leaders.

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The customer is king for a company and to keep him happy and satisfied is the main aim of any solvent business. So how do you organize your company customer care services in such a manner that this all important goal is met?

You follow a set of essential customer service principles which allows you to keep your customer satisfied with the minimal of fuss.

1. Commitment – is required to serve the customer well at all levels. You need top management, middle management and supervisors to be just as committed as the actual individuals who come in touch with the client.

2. Credibility – a man’s word can make or break his personality. If the man delivers on his promises consistently his credibility increases over a period of time and so does his reputation. With a company it is no different. The credibility needs to be built by building trust with the customers.

3. Culture – the customer service ethos needs to be a built-in part of the company culture. The fact is that no company can survive without their customers and it needs to be driven into the heads of all employees of the company. Without any customers the company and their means of employment will not exist.

4. Competency – of the staff play an important role in keeping a good customer service ethos. The staff that is chosen during recruitment should fit in with the company’s vision. They should then be trained in the way the company does business and be assessed doing the job at frequent intervals. That way the staff of the company stays competent.

5. Responsibility – is the key. There must be one consistent authority within the company who is responsible for all customer service issues. There needs to be a clear head to approach within the company who is entitled to take decisions instantly in given customer issues.

6. Resources – are vital. No one can work without the right tools. Imagine sewing a button on a shirt without a needle. It can’t be done. So what the company needs to ensure is that there are always adequate resources available for the policies to be followed effectively.

7. Quality – as long as your product and service provides the customer with consistent quality there is little to fear. However a constant effort must be made to give the customers relevant inputs and review their reactions to hone your company systems.

8. Feedback – while the feedback from customers is important there is one aspect of feedback most companies tend to neglect. That is the collection of feedback from the employees who are dealing with the customers. There is so much your own staff can tell you if you would just care to listen.

9. Continual Improvement – is required to meet and exceed the expectations of the customer. The identification and management of all customer service issues is what helps the company to grow not just its customer base but also its reputation and profits.