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Customer Service in Retail: Syndicate 9

Customer service is important for retailers to build competitive advantage and increase profitability. It involves activities designed to enhance customer satisfaction before, during and after purchase. Retailers provide various customer support services like shopping assistance, delivery, extended hours, customization and handling complaints to meet customer needs and expectations. Regular customer service audits help identify valued services and areas for improvement. Employees also need proper training and motivation to consistently meet customer service standards.

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Roshni Ahuja
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63 views30 pages

Customer Service in Retail: Syndicate 9

Customer service is important for retailers to build competitive advantage and increase profitability. It involves activities designed to enhance customer satisfaction before, during and after purchase. Retailers provide various customer support services like shopping assistance, delivery, extended hours, customization and handling complaints to meet customer needs and expectations. Regular customer service audits help identify valued services and areas for improvement. Employees also need proper training and motivation to consistently meet customer service standards.

Uploaded by

Roshni Ahuja
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CUSTOMER SERVICE IN RETAIL

SYNDICATE 9
Anand Pikle Aseem Jain Priya Negi Sunil Kumar Rohith Raju

Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.
Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation."

Customer service

By a person sales representative

Automated Internet sites, Touch tone phone

Customer service

Before sales salesman

After sales E.g. Call centers, Service centers

7 Truths about retail selling


1. Good salesmanship begins before the customer arrives. 2. Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens. 3. An eagerness to help is the solution to the eagerness to sell. 4. Nothing sells like a personal relationship. 5. Theres no magic close. 6. A return policy is a tool, not a rule. 7. Just because they dont complain doesnt mean theyre happy.

Why is it important?
The goal of customer service is customer satisfaction Marketing has moved from Transactional marketing to Relationship marketing

Relationship marketing focuses on getting new customers and retaining them by a combination of Marketing, Product, and Customer Service.

Build competitive advantage


Satisfied customers are less likely to go to competitors. They will recommend you to others (costs 10 times more
to win new customer than retain loyals )

They are less likely to tell people of bad experiences. Can have high lifetime value and hence profitability increases. Staff will have a feel good factor leading to happy customers.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
A. CUSTOMER DEFINITION AND KNOWLEDGE
Who are they? What are their values and attitudes? What are their lifestyles? What do they need? How can they be reached? Where do they buy? What do they expect?

And the parameters are..


Price Availability Proximity Variety Value added services Personal interaction Promotion Reliability Ambience Physical appearance
Source FOCUS magazine (Retail service quality: Customer perception study)

What remains unanswered?


What services do retailers offer customers? How can customer service build competitive advantage? How do customers evaluate a retailers service? What activities does a retailer have to undertake to provide high quality customer service? How can retailers recover from a service failure?

According to Kanos Model

Finding the GAPs

Customer Service Gap Analysis tool

The GAPs are identified and then find the possible solutions

Strategic dimensions of service


There are two critical dimensions: Value to customers and cost. Support Services Home delivery (Dominos), Child care, Gift wrapping. Disappointers Layaway and parcel pickup (Axis bank)

Strategic dimensions of service..


Basic Services Free parking

Patronage building most strategic attention Birthday reminders, Gift certificates, Vouchers, Loyalty cards.
Source Retailing by Mason, Mayer and Ezell

Customer service Strategies


Customization approach - E.g. Dell, Asian paints, Axis Bank,
Standardization approach Mc Donalds, Dominos,
Source Retailing management by Levy Weitz

The kind of Services provided


Shopping services Telephone shopping Dominos, Online shopping services - FlipKart In Home shopping Asian paints, Eureka forbes Personal shopping - Bridal and Furniture stores.

Other Customer support services


Extended Warranties Sony Vaio, Dell Delivery Furniture and electronics appliances. Extended shopping hours ICICI Bank, CCD Automatic Bill payment Paypal, Billdesk Customers with special needs Multi lingual manuals and store design. Registries - Bridal and pregnancy registry. Handing complaints and returns Pleasant and passionate staff

Service Audits
Services Audit can help management develop a customer focus culture Identifying services that customers value is not simple since it cannot be easily defined.

What is included in this..


Identify and Analyze the companies customer service objective and also services provided. Compare with the competitors.

Take customers feedback and suggestions.


Find Service demand patterns. Trade off between service and price.

Areas to check
Quality of service Accuracy of service Promptness of response Satisfaction with facilities e.g parking, opening hours and payment methods. Staffs attitude and behavior. Complaint handling.

How to improve Develop standards


Involve customers and staff to develop standards that link to companies goals. Clearly define and document them.

Train the employees to meet the standards.


Communicate the standards clearly and then develop a culture

Encourage the customer to give feedback, Review the feedbacks and make necessary changes.

How to motivate the employees


Clearly communicate the goal and vision Involve the whole team in setting standards

Include personal dimensions like appearance, body language, problem solving approach and also communication skills. Rate the behavior of employees and consider rewarding the staff (Employee of the month)

Airline Industry

RETAIL STORES

Evolve of QSRs

Hotel Industry

In Bars services by waiter. They sometimes need to listen to what the drunk person is saying and that too with a smile

Axis Bank
The Bank has more than 1281 branches (as on 31st March, 2011). and over 7591 ATMs (as on 30th September, 2011) Various services offered such as bank official visits home to collect/deliver documents. Dual debit cards for defense personnel Personalized image debit cards and also Travel cards, Wallet cards. The branches have people to welcome and guide people with personal touch. They also encourage feedbacks and suggestions to be improved upon.

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