The relationship between customer service and customer satisfaction is a vital one.
The relationship between customer service and customer satisfaction is a vital one. It is like a good marriage sealed with the vow of commitment, integrity, communication, respect, consideration and availability. And, moreover, it is a relationship in which everyone, both the business and the customer, can come out ahead if the relationship steadily builds over time, driving business results, and subsequently inspiring a fierce loyalty of the customer to the brand.
Significance
Customer service is born on the front lines of the business.
When you consider that a person who has had a negative customer service experience is more likely to share that negative experience with others than someone who has had a positive experience, it almost behooves a business to go out of its way to strive for exceptional customer service, if nothing else but to avoid the pitfall from that one negative response. Customer satisfaction is born on the front lines of the business, and it can impact the bottom line both positively and negatively, depending upon the emphasis the business places on quality customer service.
Benefits
Word of mouth advertising can go a long way.
Providing exceptional customer service, the kind that leads to genuine customer satisfaction, can offer a business many benefits; one of which is word of mouth advertising. Word of mouth advertising can go a long way, as one satisfied customer can drive a lot of new customers into the direction of the business just by touting its praises. It is honest-to-goodness advertising without the high-cost of a marketing and public relation’s team.
Effects
Quality customer service can drive loyalty to the brand.
Quality customer service, delivered with honest intentions, can lead to some powerful effects in the marketplace. For instance, it can drive customer loyalty to the brand like nobodies business. Quality customer service can create a revolution in the marketplace by simply extending exceptional service to its customer, providing more than just a product, but a feeling that its competitors have failed to provide. It’s these kinds of positive customer service interactions that propel business forward in amazing ways, one customer at a time. The same is true of a negative customer service experience; nothing can speak to a business’ bottom line like poor customer service.
Potential
If a business were to put itself into the shoes of the customer, they could learn a lot about the customers' needs and wants.
If a business were to put itself into the shoes of the customer, it might gain a better understanding of what its customers want and need, aside from the obvious. The potential to significantly reach a business’ customer-base goes beyond just the products it provides. It’s the feeling that a customer gets each and every time it comes into contact with the brand; it’s that positive feeling that takes customer satisfaction to the next level. There is a lot of potential for a business to wow its customers, even in the simplest ways, ways that may seem insignificant to some. It’s simply about a business getting to know its customer, taking the time to give them more than what they’ve come to expect from the competition. It’s about standing out in the crowd when it comes to providing exceptional service.
The Difference
A satisfied employee is a productive employee.
There are many ways to go about incorporating quality customer service into a business plan, beginning with its employees. A satisfied employee is a productive employee, the one that is willing to go above and beyond for both the customer and the brand. And he is not necessarily the highest paid employee either. The truest link between customer service and customer satisfaction is the employee. The employee is the life’s blood of the business, and if the employee is satisfied in his position, chances are the brand’s customers will be satisfied in theirs.
