Customer care plays a very important role in many business organizations. Business organizations need to offer quality services to their customers to be competitive in their target markets. There are several employee positions in an organization which are directly responsible for customer care. Employees in these roles need to perform various duties diligently to satisfy customers’ expectations. This paper will discuss employee positions which need to be assigned customer care responsibilities in an organization.
Customer service roles in an organization should be performed by employees who are professional, diligent and respond well to criticism. The employees chosen to perform customer care roles should be those who constantly interact with customers. These employees are the public face of a company and through their actions; they represent a firm’s values and ethics in public. Employees who need to be assigned customer care roles include front office receptionists, sales executives, managers, security officers, and delivery staff. They are in constant interaction with clients and are best suited to satisfy customers’ needs and expectations (Peelen, 2005, p. 67).
Front office receptionists serve visitors at the entrance and their behavior creates an impression about a firm in the mind of a client. They need to be responsive to customers and propose effective solutions for their problems. Middle and senior managers need to be in touch with their customers to understand how to provide them with effective and quality services.
Peelen (2005) argues that it is more difficult to acquire a new customer than to retain an old one (p.68). Therefore, managers should encourage their employees to sustain strong relationships with customers to earn their loyalty and trust. Sales and delivery staff should make valid and reliable promises to customers about products offered to them in the market. They should ensure that customers have good experiences when consuming products sold to them.
Business firms need to encourage feedback from their customers to understand their problems and expectations. Organizations should also use customer feedback when designing products and services meant to satisfy crucial needs in the market. Front office staff, salespeople and managers need feedback from customers to improve the quality of services they provide (Peelen, 2005, p. 71). These employees understand customers’ interests and they can help a firm to implement effective customer service standards. They need to offer personalized care to every customer to ensure that the service provided satisfies each client’s needs.
Peelen (2005) reveals that a forward-thinking firm observes the principles of professionalism, integrity, and innovation (p.83). The ways in which employees interact with customers determine whether a firm will be able to retain the loyalty of its customers in the long term. Customer service is intangible; it is not easy to for a firm to evaluate the quality of service it offers without proper responses from its customers.
Organizations need to understand customer expectations first before they implement customer service standards that aim to improve the quality of services they offer. Employees should inspire confidence, trust, and loyalty in customers through their interactions. This will improve an organization’s reputation in the market because customers will perceive the services it offers to be reliable.
In conclusion, firms need to implement effective customer service standards which their employees should observe. This ensures that firms are accountable to their clients and can be relied upon to provide quality services. Firms need to encourage their employees to be responsive to their customers.
Reference
Peelen, E.D. (2005). Customer relationship management. London: Pearson.