STUDENTS' CORNER -96

In this session we will be dealing with Customer Service as the last component of the Logistics and its evolution.

Customer service is the end of a successful business and therefore it is the end of effective logistics.

In marketing which is integral to business, the major pillar of strength is the simple but very significant slogan: Customer is always right. And serving him is the way he wants is customer service which in effect must transform a prospective customer into a permanent customer who is actually an unpaid advocate of the company. Therefore, customer service begins before one becomes a customer as a matter of fact.  Customer service is a sort of permanent reliable support the company offers both before and after they purchase and use the product.

Through promise and pricing, the support begins for the customer before he buys the product.  Through advertisements and other means of approach like e-mail etc., you make the customer aware of the benefits of your product in such a way that he must be impressed with you. That is where the entire complex mechanism of marketing techniques lies, throwing a big challenge to you.  Another very important tool to impress the customer is the price you ask him to pay for your product.  You tell him so effectively that he realizes that for the benefits he gets he certainly pays less to you than what he does to the other.

These measures when win the customer, your promise must be protected in the product you offer. Of course, your support continues to him even after he has purchased your product in any way the customer chooses to get it from you.  Some companies offer self-service support which is becoming increasingly popular on account of its convenience: you get it at any time anywhere. In short, you give your customer an experience of happiness hassle-free, handy and delightfully helpful.

In our next sessions, we shall briefly look into the importance of customer service and the ways it can be achieved to the satisfaction of the customer.