Importance of Empowerment in Customer Service Management

Importance of Empowerment in Customer Service Management
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Introduction
The primary goal of every business enterprise is to make profits. For this goal to be realized, there are several strategies that must be put in place. Some of the most commonly employed strategies by businesses include reduction of cost of operation and maximizing on sales. The second strategy is perhaps the core of all others and which must be prioritized by all businesses (Baran, 2008). Maximizing on sales is a strategy that is customer oriented. It is a strategy that recognizes that the customer forms the core of the business. It is imperative for every business to understand the crucial position held by the customer in the business. A customer oriented approach ensures the satisfaction of customers in service delivery. This will mean that the customer will come again for a second time and will give referrals as well. Customer service management is therefore the bedrock of every business without which a business is bound to fail. The gist of this discussion is the importance of empowerment on customer service management. The discussion will focus on the need to empower employees in order to deal with external customers and satisfy them.
Background Information
In tandem with the goals of every organization, a customer is classified as the most important asset. Even with modern technology employed to offer fist class services, if a business has no customers, then all other efforts are in futility. A business organization has two main tasks in relation to their customers. The first task is to attract customers into the business (Goodman, 2009). Once the customers are aware of the products and services of the business, the second task is to retain them. Retention insoles ensuring that the customers come back frequently and also make referrals to friends, family and colleagues. Customer relationship management revolves around the two tasks of attraction and retention of customers. Customer relationship management is twofold yet multifaceted in nature (Baran, 2008). The reason for this is that the needs of every single customer are different and unique. As much as possible, customer relationship management therefore involves tailor-making services to meet the needs of individual customers.
Every financial year, a lot of money is set aside for purposes of popularizing the products and services of the company. While all the strategies are crucial in marketing, the ultimate strategy lies in the public relations of the company where customer service management falls. It is imperative for all employees of the company to have an in-depth understanding of good customer management. Employees must view customers of the business as the very reason why they have jobs (Berndt, 2008). As such, they must treat them with the utmost respect, good faith and decorum. It is the kind of services that customers receive mainly from employees that will determine whether or not they will come back another time. Majority of companies record huge losses at the end of every financial year. Researches indicate that more than half of the losses incurred by businesses are occasioned by poor customer service. For example, a customer who walks into a restaurant to find a rude waiter or waitress is not likely to come back a second time. Orders that are delayed or the wrong order delivered is another reason why customers will prefer another restaurant next time.
Until recently, a majority of business did not recognize the importance of customer service management. This would therefore see customers who encounter problems and have nobody to assist them. Customers would end up frustrated and would eventually prefer to leave and try out another business. With emergence of new businesses in virtually every field, competition has stiffened. As a result, businesses have been forced to look for all means to ensure that they retain their customers. It is now that majority of businesses have fully understood, appreciated and embraced customer service management. They are now reaping the benefits of the employing this strategy.
Importance of Customer Service Management
One of the key reason for which customer service management is important is so as to gain a good understanding of the customer. When customers walk into a business premise for the first time, they are total strangers. The kind of impression they will get will largely depend on whether they will come back for the second time. Exercise customer service management therefore ensures that employees can strike a rapport with the clients. Regardless of the fact that the needs of the clients may vary and are sometimes unique, the needs of customers must be understood.
Customer experience is also a reason why customer service management is exercised. The experiences that customers have at business are crucial and more often the pointers to either future engagements with the business (Buttle, 2012). It is therefore crucial for employees of business to create an environment that is friendly to customers. When a customer faces hostility from an employee who serves them, they tend to replicate that image to the entire organization. This means even when one employee mishandles a customer; the interests of the entire business are jeopardized.
The customers of a business at any one given time can never be sufficient. It is therefore imperative that business gains new customers every so often. For new customers to join the bandwagon of the existing customers, they must hear good information regarding the business. Researches have shown that advertisements and referrals play an important role in increasing the client base of customers. This therefore means that the kind of information that existing clients of a business have in regard to the business will be passed on to potential clients. This will determine whether the potential clients will come to the business or not.
When all these goals are achieved, the ultimate goal of the business will subsequently sail through. The sales of the business will increase and consequently, the profit margins will go up. The translation herein therefore is that customer service management is at the core of every business. The success or failure of a business will therefore be determined by how well the customers have been managed.
Why Empower Employees?
For years, pretty much of control and management of business organizations was left in the hands of top managers. The work of employees was to simply follow orders and execute them as instructed. Employees were not allowed to ask questions and their input and contribution...