| To determine how a company is performing in terms | | | | this technology will be useless if its implementation |
| of customer service, some customer service | | | | ends up with its installation. CRM usually supports |
| measurements are used regularly. These | | | | several business processes including sales, marketing, |
| measurements are designed to assess how satisfied | | | | and customer service. This technology enables a |
| customers are with the services provided by a | | | | company system to compile a customer's contact |
| company. | | | | history and allows customer service representatives to |
| Customer service is commonly defined as a series of | | | | retrieve these data when needed. By keeping tabs of |
| activities that are organized to increase customer | | | | a customer's contact history, customers would no |
| satisfaction levels so that a product or service will | | | | longer need to disclose the subject of his previous |
| exceed customer expectation. Customer service may | | | | interactions with a company customer service |
| be extended in an automated manner through | | | | representative. |
| self-service means like support Internet sites, or by | | | | Setting customer service standards is a crucial step in |
| persons like sales and customer service | | | | assessing the quality of service provided to customers. |
| representatives. Usually, the main basis of customer | | | | When setting these standards, managers and other |
| service is customer data collection or demographics. | | | | mid-level managers should make sure that they are |
| Today, a wide variety of customer service tools are | | | | realistic. These standards should not be too low for |
| now available. Aside from support websites, | | | | these would just encourage complacency and |
| databases that determine individual customer | | | | idleness. At the same time, they should not be too high |
| preferences and buying patterns and specialist | | | | that they are impossible to achieve. Moreover, the |
| software are now used. Moreover, companies also | | | | company must determine the standards that they |
| have come up with new ways to capture feedback | | | | need to measure and the most efficient way to |
| from customers. A few of these new feedback | | | | measure them. When establishing measurements, it is |
| channels include mobile email and text messages. By | | | | recommended that managers determine why key |
| knowing the perceptions and opinions of customers, | | | | customers patronize their product or service instead of |
| companies are able to find ways to enhance the | | | | the competition. Also, obstacles that hinder the |
| quality of the services they provide as well as improve | | | | company's internal customers, or employees, from |
| the experience of their customers. | | | | providing quality customer service should be identified. |
| Several companies have integrated Customer | | | | Processes that are critical for product and service |
| Relationship Management (CRM) technologies to their | | | | delivery should also be regularly evaluated so that |
| operations. CRM is a multifaceted process that allows | | | | bottlenecks are eliminated early. Lastly, there should be |
| companies to have better knowledge of the needs, | | | | balance between production cost, product or service |
| wants, and buying patterns of their customers. By | | | | quality, and cycle time. When fully and effectively |
| making these data available for customers, companies | | | | utilized, customer service measurements will be |
| are better able to anticipate the needs of existing and | | | | instrumental for companies to achieve higher profit |
| prospective customers. However, CRM initiatives | | | | margins. |
| should be aligned with customer-based strategies, as | | | | |