Customer Care

Service of mankind will secure leadership.				A Customer Value Analysis is used to evaluate basis
(A Conceptual-Practical Roadmap towards Stable				of customer decision towards product/service; it gives
Customer Account)				concrete understanding of market-perceived quality
Introduction				profile - price profile. The proper understanding and
Business venture is an interactive phenomenon of				utilization of customers' valuation approach gives an
interdependent individuals to attain financial benefits.				edge over competitors and improves the market
The ultimate motive of a business venture or an				share of a business. It has three levels:
entrepreneur is to earn profit, so that a successful				Basic / Expected: - At basic level customer needs are
business venture is evaluated on the basis of its				assessed and customer is expecting these basics
economic returns. An economic return or profit is				from you. The basic needs of customers must be
outcome of multiple factors such as effective				satisfied for the survival of business. It is important to
entrepreneurship, efficient resource management,				note that the survival of business is not compulsory; it
knowledge management, customer satisfaction,				is an outcome of enterprise approach towards
supportive government policies, and booming global				satisfaction of basic / expected requirements of
conditions. These factors can be grouped into two				customers. Expected / Basic requirements of
categories - success factors & performance				customers are invisible, usually; they become visible
indicators. A success factor leads towards successful				when they are unfulfilled. For example, the very basis
business, while a performance indicator leads towards				of a dress is to save the customer from
better performance of a business. Success means				environmental itchings and to give someone a
profit and performance means profit level. The most				reasonable look, a dress unable to satisfy the basic
inevitable success factor of a business venture is				needs shall be failed.
Business Location, while the vital performance indicator				Desired: - The customer desires something better but
is Customer Care. A wrong selection of business				he is not expecting from you or others. A desired level
location leads towards business closure and customer				of customer care is achieved by knowing unspoken
dissatisfaction means less demand or low return; the				customer preferences. The best and effective way to
ultimate outcome of low return is business closure, too.				get awareness about hidden customer preferences is
Appropriate business location gives stability to				to talk with customers / expected customers about
entrepreneur, while a caring approach towards				their unspoken wants / desires. The knowledge about
customers mean stable customer account or loyal				desired preferences provides an opportunity to
customers. A suitable business location gives better				achieve higher level of customer satisfaction. It leads
start to a business and customer satisfaction gives				towards marked difference between you and your
long-run sustainability to a business. Moreover, a better				competitors because customer is getting it from you
selection of business location is helpful to meet supply				and not getting it from someone else, moreover, it
constraints, while a sensible approach towards				provides a long-run comparative advantage due to
customer care is supportive to tackle demand				informational edge. The process of knowing unspoken
pressures.				preferences is easy to state, however, painful to
Customer Care has two dimensions - perceptual and				implement due to informational inefficiencies or
practical. At practical level, it is careful behavior				personal prejudices. It is noteworthy that the
towards multiple needs of customers, while at				comparative advantage may vanish any time due to
perceptual level; it is helpful mindset towards multiple				some imitation or information leakage, the solution is
needs of customers. Customer satisfaction is ultimate				continuous updating of changing preferences and
achievement of a business venture. It provides				better approach towards satisfaction of preferences.
sustained sales or reasonable return over a long period				Unanticipated: -These are discontinuous features of a
of time. The very bases of customer satisfaction are				business to create pleasant surprise among
better production techniques and good distribution				customers. Good customer care means happier
system. The twin strategies, efficient production &				customers and increased referrals. A pleasant surprise
effective distribution, produces and delivers the product				to customers is effective strategy for sale
with zero defects and develops lifetime or loyal				maximization. It is noteworthy that a good experience
customers. It is noteworthy that the production				is propagated normally to 5 persons and bad
contents or prices are generally equivalent for identical				experience is propagated generally to 20 persons. A
category of products or services in a competitive				pleasant surprise to customers from time to time can
economy, so that, the dominant aspect of any				be opted as permanent strategy to achieve or
customer care process is to enhance distributional				maintain customer loyalty
ease for customers, technically speaking; it is				Product Delivery Model
application of Customer Relationship Management				The product / service delivery system has far
(CRM) model.				reaching affects on customer satisfaction and
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the				company's market share. It must be based on
process of taking care of customers before, during,				customer friendly approach. A product/service delivery
and after the sale of a product or service. A caring				model has, generally, five vital components.
process is started when a prospective customer				Environmental: - It is the physical set-up of the delivery
hears and responds about some product or service,				system. It affects the aesthetics and psychological
hopefully, it never ends. The final target is to create a				needs of customers. The friendly environment
Loyal Customer or to achieve Customer Loyalty.				accommodates the social norms of customers, as
Ideally, customers should enjoy the process of buying /				well.
hiring as much as they enjoy use of product / service.				Interpersonal: - It is the interactive set-up of the delivery
In the real world this is very difficult. Business owners				system. A relationship is a close partnership that
may not be able to remove the all hurdles that can get				evolves, steadily, through mutual cooperation, common
in the way of positive customer experiences, but they				goals, and reciprocal respect. A cordial interpersonal
can be managed by implementing some psychosocial				environment is necessary for satisfactory relationship
approaches towards customer's expectations. A				with customers.
quality production, competitive price, friendly environ,				Procedural: - It includes waiting, guidance,
accommodation of social norms of customers, correct				documentation, etc. It must be easy to understand and
information to customers are some necessary steps				simple to do. A proper setup for guidance on multiple
towards better customer care.				procedures develops long-lasting relations with
Good customer relations are not accidental outcomes				customers.
of business life; rather good customer relations are				Financial: - It is the liquidity transfer set-up of the
outcome of good business processes, both operational				delivery system. The standard/legal norms of financial
as well as structural. The multiple institutional processes				transaction are necessary to avoid some crises
enhance the level of customer satisfaction, like having				mistrust. A liquidity transfers phenomenon is highly
a set procedure for selling, the best after sale				sensitive area of business realm, the whole institutional
customer caring practices help and ensure that				effort may collapse at final moments due to some
customers will remain satisfy throughout the process				non-cooperative or irrational or illegal measures of fund
of buying and using. A satisfied customer is inevitable				transfers.
objective for business success, the prominent signs of				Complaint Window: - The window facility is needed to
satisfied customers are:				improve the level of service of delivery process. The
· Repeated buying interaction with the				complaint window makes room for next and better
organization,				experience for both, businesses and customers.
· Telling friends and colleagues about the				Entrepreneurship & Customer Care
advantages of dealing with and purchasing from the				An entrepreneur initiates, develops, and maintains a
organization, &				business. An effective entrepreneur reads the market
· Giving appropriate feedback to organization				situations, constantly, and responds it accordingly. A
from time to time.				market change has multiple categorizations. The
Businesses flourish and develop on old & new				prominent changes are:
customers. However, customer creation is a lengthy				· Real Vs Expected Changes,
and complicated process. It is the process of winning				· Short-lived Vs Permanent Changes,
both heart & mind. A product / service satisfy the				· Normal Vs High Promising Changes.
emotional and perceptual aspects of customers. The				A wise entrepreneur closely watches the situation and
whole institutional process is involved, directly or				reacts with effective business techniques to reap the
indirectly, towards better customer experience. A				maximum benefits of changing market environ. A
repeated customer is indication of satisfied customer.				response to some real change need some concrete
In order to maintain customer loyalty or repeat, a				steps towards customer care process, e.g.,
business provides a consistent buying experience to				demographic shift is a real change, while an expected
her customers. It is cost-effective, time-saving, and				change demands a robust analysis of expectations for
efforts-saving to satisfy an existing customer as				some future outcomes. A well-organized preparation
compare to create some new customers. An empirical				to meet some real or expected changes is necessary
study calculated that an organization spends/needs				aspect of a visionary entrepreneur. A short-lived
five times additional resources to find a new customer				change can be managed through some short-term
against the cost to keep an existing customer.				measures or some operational changes in business
Customer Decision Analysis				process, while a permanent change demands some
It is generally true that 80 percent of profits come				long-term measures or some structural changes in
from 20 percent of customers. However, the total				business process. The accurate understanding of
customer base is important. The small customer				temporal phenomena of change is essential aspect of
enriches the organization, generally, through proper				dynamic entrepreneur. Normal changes brings normal
feedback. The right approach is to differentiate the				profit to a business, a normal response is enough to
responsible customer from detractor. A detractor				mange it, on the other hand, high promising changes
customer is unreliable, non-cooperative, and				bring windfall profit for business, consequently, an
unreceptive and criticizes illogically and arrogantly due				innovative response is required to reap wind-fall profit.
to some psychological / social leanings. A responsible				An innovative response has some risky aspects, too,
customer is logical, conceptually, loyal, emotionally, and				but, at the same time, it is inevitable for higher and
reliable, practically. Moreover, a business face, generally,				better returns. A stable and successful response to
two types of customers, we may call them				normal or high-promising changes is essential aspect of
trendsetters and trend-followers. A trendsetter is				an innovative entrepreneur. It is noteworthy that
leader customer; he/she sets the tone and trend for				customers forget very soon an entrepreneur who is
market. The follower customer is affected, extremely,				neglectful towards customers' changing preferences
by trendsetters, he/she is influenced by snobbish /				or market situations. A visionary, dynamic, and
bandwagon effects. An entrepreneur can also set				innovative approach towards change is inevitable
some trends for masses through some innovative				aspect of effective entrepreneurship.
marketing techniques. For example, Microsoft settled				Final Remarks
some new attitudes of public towards computer and				Begin your Customer Care efforts by focusing first on
software. A great number of transnational companies				what matters most to customers, consequently you
do it for their products and services such as				would be able to see measurable results within few
McDonald, KFC, and Pepsi.				weeks/days. The key towards successful
An item or service is bought due to multiple reasons				implementation of Customer Care process is to
such as utility, price, and social fads. Consumers in any				understand consumer preferences accurately, to
market tend to select one product or service over				estimate consumer preferences precisely, and finally to
another based on their perception of its value. Value,				respond on customer preferences appropriately.
simply, is quality at some right price level. Quality also				We are living in information age; information about
includes non-price attributes, such as product delivery				something is easily available to everyone due to
system and customer service. A customer's				multiple information channels, consequently, customers
perception of right price is a composite of several				have fairly good information about products and
factors such as need, facility, aesthetic, delivery				services due to print and electronic media. In addition,
procedure and price of alternatives. It is responsibility of				computer / internet has attained inevitable factor during
management to make her product / service valuable				some day to day customer experiences, for example,
for existing and prospective customers. A continuous				ATM service is necessary for normal banking. A
and dynamic review of market situation is necessary				business can implement customized software for
to maintain comparative advantage. An innovative				better and quick dealing experience. Application of
approach towards multiple marketing techniques /				Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
channels is necessary for persistent satisfactory				involves many applications that merge back-office
buying experience.				operations and databases with front-line customer
A customer finds countless differentiated products in				interaction. It enables the business to provide correct
the market. There is, sometime, very little difference in				and timely information to customers, answer their
content and price of the product or service. For				questions, and take care of their needs as early as
example, customer has countless varieties of dresses				possible.
to wear / houses to live / vehicles to travel. A				Business success and sustainability is outcome of
competitive/differentiated situation can be managed				stable customer account. A customer is real asset of
through better delivery services and after sale				an organization. It is base and foundation of every
services. Advertisement is supportive just to create				accounting asset, both tangible and intangible. The
one time experience; repetition is outcome of				decisive difference between customer account and
customer satisfaction. A customer leaves due to				other business accounts is presence of heart &
multiple reasons such as non-caring staff, product				mind with former, a customer have some emotional
dissatisfaction, product price, and price of alternative				leanings and rational expectations. An accounting
products. The most important is non-caring attitude of				approach towards stable customer account may lead
staff towards customers. It is noteworthy that				towards some wrong business practices. A humanistic
competitive environ or availability of differentiated				approach towards customers is essential for
products or services can change the customer				successful implementation of Customer Relationship
mindset towards buying or purchasing at any time.				Management (CRM) Modal.

ITIL

Customer Care