Customer Service Excellence
Customer service is vital for any business because it is the point of interaction between a buyer and a company representative. Businesses invest in customer service because they understand that customer loyalty and satisfaction depend on the nature of the interaction between a customer and the business. Retailers handling consumer products and services require excellent customer service to attract repeat customers. To ensure employees uphold outstanding customer service standards, most organizations have embraced the practice as part of their organizational culture. Most successful companies recognize the significance of incorporating excellent customer service into their organizational culture to gain a competitive advantage.
Indicators of United Booksellers’ service culture
One of the strongest indicators of United Bookseller’s service culture is its customer-service employee training program. Under the program, employees are trained to meet customer and company expectations (Lucas, 2022). The bookstore dedicates significant financial, time, and personnel investment to the training program, meaning customer service is core to its operations. The company has trained over 3000 employees on effective customer service, an indicator of its customer service passion (Lucas, 2022). Also, the fact that the employee training program has been sustained for over 15 years shows the seriousness with which the company treats customer service. The ultimate goal of embracing a positive service culture is to gain a competitive advantage.
Secondly, United Bookseller’s service experience is evidenced by its store management and operations design features. For instance, the bookstore has dedicated coffee shops where patrons can enjoy a cup of coffee as they read their purchases (Lucas, 2022). Also, the bookstore invests significantly in the appearance of the store. Another operations-related initiative is the fact that the company collects various publications to enable the customer to enjoy variety (Lucas, 2022). The ultimate goal is to create a resourceful and serene environment that relaxes customers and gives them a great reading experience. Incorporating these features into a company’s operations goes a long way toward making the customer feel valued.
Contributing to United Bookseller’s Service Culture as an Employee
Having been assigned a role that requires constant interaction with customers, I will need to embrace positive customer interaction tactics to contribute positively to United Bookseller’s service culture. Customer-employee interaction is a crucial weapon for an organization seeking to achieve customer satisfaction (Lucas, 2022). I will utilize personal skills to ensure a positive customer experience.
One of the ways I may contribute to the bookstore’s service culture is through interaction enjoyment. Interaction enjoyment creates a positive customer experience by being friendly and talking to clients nicely (Atuo & Kalu, 2016). The interactions should be memorable so that patrons will always remember them in the long term. For instance, while assisting customers in finding their choices on bookshelves, I will smile and gently salute them. Also, politely offering to help the customers find their choice will come in handy. Interaction enjoyment results from verbal and non-verbal cues designed to create a friendly atmosphere. Notably, interaction enjoyment and the actual service are sometimes inseparable. A positive customer experience is positively linked with a perception that the actual service is equally outstanding.
Another way to contribute to the bookstore’s service culture is by ensuring high service quality. Service quality refers to the gap between customer expectations and what the customer perceives the organization to have offered (Atuo & Kalu, 2016). When a company’s offers exceed expectations, then the organization is deemed to have offered quality. On the other hand, if consumers perceive the services offered by a company to be below their expectations, then the service quality is poor. Henceforth, customers will use their judgment to decide whether they will patronize the organization again. One way to ensure service quality is by creating an inviting environment by neatly arranging books on their respective shelves.
Also, quick response to customer concerns is an excellent way to improve service quality. In my role, I will constantly be interacting with customers who may pose questions regarding some books. One of the best ways to retain such customers is to respond to their issues as quickly as possible (Atuo & Kalu, 2016). Besides, customers who call from home to make inquiries need quick responses. For instance, if a company states that it responds to customer concerns within 48 hours, doing so earlier will come in handy. Customers will feel valued if such a company responds to customers within the first hour. Employees should respond quickly to customer concerns as indicated in a company’s policy framework.
Additionally, seamless customer-employee interaction bolsters a customer’s loyalty. In this case, the customer-employee interaction differs from the relational aspects discussed above. Here, customer-employee interaction revolves around an ongoing purchase process (Ramaiyer, 2018). For instance, some patrons make payments and request that their orders be processed quickly. Customers who feel that their demands were complied with are likely to come back.
Service Expectations as a Customer
As a customer and patron of the United Booksellers, I expect to interact with informed staff. I expect the store to have trained the staff to help me locate books I may be looking for. It is not enough for a business to have a wide variety of products. A reliable retailer should train its staff so that they understand what is on offer. For instance, I may wish to gift someone a book without any title in mind. In that case, I expect an informed staff member to recommend an appropriate book. Great customer service requires the staff to comprehensively understand product features to provide customers with appropriate guidelines.
Also, a customer looks forward to discounts and special offers. Discounts such as ‘buy two get one free’ are an excellent way to attract and retain budget customers. I also expect low-priced older books to be available at the store. A business that offers discounts shows that it values its customers, big and small.
Conclusion
Great customer service is key to customer satisfaction and retention. To that end, businesses take steps geared toward creating a service culture to ensure long-term customer loyalty. Consumers in the consumer product sector determine whether they are offered quality once they use a purchased product. However, in the service sector, the purchasing and quality evaluation is instant and simultaneous. Customer service is incorporated into an organization’s culture to prepare employees for providing outstanding services.
References
Atuo, E. C., & Kalu, S. E. (2016). Customer-Employee Interaction and Organizational Competitiveness of Telecommunication Industry in Nigeria. https://www.noveltyjournals.com/upload/paper/Customer-Employee%20Interaction-765.pdf
Lucas, R. W. (2022). Customer service: skills for success (8th ed.). Mcgraw-Hill Education.
Ramaiyer, K. (2018). The Connection Between Your Employees and Customers. Journal of Advance Research in Business Management and Accounting (ISSN: 2456-3544), 4(8), 01-14. https://doi.org/10.53555/nnbma.v4i8.28
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Question 
Using the following case from Chapter 2 of your textbook, write a paper of 1,000 words or more using APA style and at least 2 references (one of which should be the textbook).
Customer Service Excellence
Face to Face—You and Your New Job in Customer Service
You have assumed a new role in customer service at United Booksellers. The organization has been heralded for its high-quality service and friendly atmosphere. The facilities are nice, and the efficiency and helpfulness of the employees are notable. Each store has its coffee shop where patrons can relax and read. The organization employs 3,000 people and provides extensive customer service training before employees are allowed to interact with customers.
Assignment Details
Answer the following questions in your paper:
Are there any indicators of United Booksellers’ service culture? If so, what are they?
As an employee of United Booksellers, in what ways do you feel that you could contribute to the organizational culture?
If you were a customer, what kind of service would you expect to receive at United Booksellers? Why?
Please submit your assignment.
For assistance with your assignment, please use your text, Web resources, and all course materials.