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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by CSReader (talk | contribs) at 21:53, 19 March 2006 (→Revision Tracker). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

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Guidelines & Help

Proposed Outline

This article needs an outline. Here's something that might serve as a starting point. It's based on Yale University's Customer Service Institute curriculum. I'll leave this up here for a few days. If there are no objections, I'll start editing and developing the article along this outline. CSReader 00:33, 29 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Lining up sources today, linked to outline headings. For now, these link to excerpts of sources cited in my blog. The final article will link to primary sources. CSReader 03:54, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

So I don't butcher the work of those who'd already contributed to this entry, I've decided to draft the entry in my blog first. You can watch it develop here CSReader 05:44, 5 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

That's not working out so well. So I'm trying to build the content here instead. CSReader 13:37, 20 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

CSReader 13:10, 9 February 2006 (UTC) My blog is good for taking notes on my readings, but not for organizing them. My lens in Squidoo is a much better tool for that. In the outline below, I've marked with an L those topics and readings that I've been able to put in a more logical order.[reply]

I'm revising the outline as I go along. For example, I created a section called "Customer service culture", and subsumed ideology, hiring, and training as subsections there. But I'm keping the outline below in place, as it's a handy organizer of source material CSReader 14:53, 14 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Definition

Oxford English Dictionary 2e definitions of Customer and Service CSReader 06:09, 12 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

customer, n 3. a. ‘One who frequents any place of sale for the sake of purchasing’ (J.); one who customarily purchases from a particular tradesman; a buyer, purchaser. (The chief current sense.) c1480 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 317 To wt-draw from yor M., ne from no brother of {th}e craft, any of ther costomers.

service, n 31. a. Provision (of labour, material appliances, etc.) for the carrying out of some work for which there is a constant public demand. 1853 PAPWORTH Museums, etc. 15 Regulations as to admission into public museums..the porter not to allow the entrance of any person out of the hours of public service. b. Expert advice or assistance given by manufacturers and dealers to secure satisfactory results from goods made or supplied by them. 1919 W. H. BERRY New Motoring xxiv. 183 The need of a better service system for motorists has often been emphasised... There is ample room for a big development of a scheme for rendering practical car service.

customer service n. - assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services. Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English CSReader 01:26, 29 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Customer service is the set of activities and programs undertaken by retailers to make the shopping experience more rewarding for their customers. These activities increase the value customers receive from the merchandise and services they purchase. (Levy & Weitz 2004) CSReader 05:17, 6 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

EB definition from Logistics - Customer service involves an array of activities to keep existing customers satisfied. An example is computer software manufacturers who allow consumers to telephone them to discuss problems they are encountering with the software. Servicing equipment in the field and training new users are other examples of customer service. The term user-friendly is sometimes applied; the firm wants to develop a reputation as being easy to do business with. Firms continually monitor the levels of customer service they—and their competitors—offer. They might use machines to record how many times customer-service telephones ring before being answered or what percentage of requested repair parts they can deliver within a certain time span. 24.6.165.211 04:59, 30 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

Customer service is the provision of labor and other resources, for the purpose of increasing the value that buyers receive from their purchases and from the processes leading up to the purchase. CSReader 07:17, 12 March 2006 (UTC), based on definitions above[reply]

References

Slow going building this reference section CSReader 06:02, 6 January 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Finally got around to listing some of my principal sources, using Wiki Bibliography. Am posting the Reference section to the article now CSReader 02:47, 12 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Added to the Reference section of the article, and deleted the references from this Discussion page CSReader 14:48, 14 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cleanup

Removing this plug, and related remarks:

Virgilio Y Paralisan in his ebook "The Six Dimensions of Customer Service" and his blogsite http://customerservicetools.blogspot.com said that "Customer Service is a concept that is usually presented as a collection or patches of complementing activities done by an individual or a group of individuals.

It is seldom presented as a process or a system that an organization manages to seamlessly and effectively deliver solutions (product or service) to customers.

The conventional approach is to teach people to respond to customers using the telephone or handle a live person-to-person interaction specially when there is a dissatisfied or complaining customers.

All the things that you will do to build your customer service program will most likely be within the realm of the following dimensions: The Customer, The Service Concept, The Service Process, The Tools, The Business Plan and The Team."

Also removed this: "Certain entire classes of organizations are well known for generally bad customer service, such as DMVs." That may be true, but it's a whine that does not belong here.

- Ed 12.28.05

It still feels baggy

It still feels baggy with sections that might be redundent. Someone more familiar with the subject matter might be more confident making cuts. --Tomheaton 21:35, 14 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Removed this paragraph: "Most of the customer service programs are actually damage control or image protection ploys. I am also a customer for many services and most of these customer service programs are really just cheap scams or are downright shameful tactics to evade doing additional after-sales commitments."

Opinion with no source. The concept of deceptive customer service may be owrthy of mention, but in a more formal way.

Greeting customers

(CSReader 14:31, 15 March 2006 (UTC) Moved this section from the article, until I figure out a good way to put it back.)[reply]

Greeting customers is an important part of customer service and customer care which can leave a lasting impression on customers.

The following table shows positive and negative forms of greeting and dealing with customers:

Positive Strokes Negative Strokes
Physical Firm handshake
Touching hands, arm shoulder
Hug
 Soft handshake
Pushing customer away
Snatching
Mishandling property
Being too familiar
Verbal Pleasant and courteous greeting
Using name
Compliments
Thanking, or praising customers
Laughing with customers 		Unpleasant greeting
Errors in name
Shouting at customers
Sarcasm or obscenities
Failure to say thanks
Patronising attitude
Non-verbal Appropriate body language (eg nodding, frowning in empathy)
Smiling
Waving
Expressing courtesy
Following expected customs
Focused attention 		Inappropriate body language
Frowning or ignoring customer
Not making eye contact
Fiddling with things or fidgeting nervously

Please note that cultural differences may play a major role in the interpretation of things such as touching hands, arms, and shoulders and giving hugs.

zh:顾客服务

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