Basic Principles Associated with Good Customer Care
1. Following are the basic principles associated with good customer care:
i) Speed: Responsiveness has the maximum impression on consumer based on which satisfaction is actualized. First response time indicates how quickly the escalation of a consumer is acknowledged.
ii) Accuracy: Customer care employees must be accurate enough in solving the query of customers at the first instance. This does not increase satisfaction but may definitely create dissatisfaction, which will result to poor loyalty.
iii) Clarity: Consumers must be clarified about the process based which their service request will be processed. This ensures the authenticity and transparency of service delivery within the stipulated timeframe.
iv) Transparency: For any service request, associated customer service employee must update the status of the service progress directly to the customer, as this will help in reducing the confusion and frustration among customers.
v) Accessibility: Often it becomes tardy for the service request to be placed by the consumers due to the improper accessibility medium. Good customer care ensures simple yet channelized medium so that consumers can easily contact customer support agents at any point of time.
2. Specsavers Optical Superstores aims to bring the greatest expertise and service standards. All the stores are owned locally and by professionals who opticians are offering best eye care.
The customer care promise of the organization is below:
“We want you to be completely happy with your purchase at Specsavers. If you have any concerns within three months of the date of purchase, we will put it right. No quibble, no fuss.”
The customer care policy comprises of the following:
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Contacting Specsavers |
People who feel that they need urgent eye care service, can visit the stores listed in website. The stores are owned and operated by opticians due to which best satisfaction will be achieved. |
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Questionnaire emails |
Feedback system through post service emails which will be started right after 14 days from first store visit. This is a form of survey called Maze to understand the satisfaction of consumers. |
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Authorised Service |
Frames are sold only through the offline retail stores authorised Specsavers sellers with Specsavers point of sale material. |
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Sending Feedback |
Direct feedback sharing procedure from the clients is also entertained by clicking on the envelope at the customer service webpage so that consumers can share their concern. |
3. The most important use of customer service standards is to understand and confirm that management whether consumers are getting the service that has been promised to them. For Specsavers Optical Superstores, I have understood that customer service standard has helped the organization to understand the core point of dissatisfaction and has always tried to reach out to the consumers for nullifying the causes. This has helped the retail outlet to achieve best reputation and publicity in the market within short time span.
Moreover, with the help of the standards Specsavers retail stores have able to create a clear, simple and transparent way of communication with its clients, due to which redundancy of other departments are reduced. Consumers are able to get their prosed service within correct deadline, which has resulted in increasing their satisfaction. The amount of customer retention has also increased due to the satisfaction achieved through customer service standards.
4. Following are the barriers to good customer care:
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Serial No. |
Barrier |
Explanation |
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1 |
Indifference |
The gap in quality of personal interaction between client and customer service agent creates indifference. When the agents are not able to address customer query promptly it creates negative impression among clients. |
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2 |
Inattention |
Often the customer service agents fail to acknowledge the query or service request placed by clients. This mostly occurs due to poor attention. Once the client’s request is not acknowledged, it creates negative image among clients. |
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3 |
Lack of commitment |
Customer service agents are often found not to follow-up with the client regarding the progress of service delivery. In such a case, necessary commitment is lacking and customer gets dissatisfied. |
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4 |
Scripted communication |
Most of the customer service agents try to deliver similar acknowledgement to any or all clients with different service request. In such cases, clients do not get the personal touch and they are not satisfied. |
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5 |
Delayed response |
Even though consumers escalate service request or place new service request, but agents are found to acknowledge the request after huge amount of time. This impacts on the first reaction and creates dissatisfaction among consumers. |
Considering Specsavers, I have found that indifference, scripted communication and delayed response are the main cause of dissatisfaction among clients. Employees need to be trained more so that each client is dealt uniquely and response to first request is acknowledged at the earliest.
5. Following are the examples of good practice in customer care:
i) Taking Responsibility: Specsavers always take the responsibility of its clients right from the first service request. Moreover, it never closes the relationship with client after service delivery, rather it keeps on asking feedback and client eye-sight status after frequent interval of time.
A Company’s Customer Care Policy
ii) Address customer by name: In order to enhance the speciality of service and reach out deeper to service delivery, Specsaversaddresses its clients by their name. This helps in ensuring specialized and unique service where clients understand the value that they create in Specsavers.
iii) Apologise: One of the best example of good practice that is followed by Specsavers is apology. Specsavers believe that a heartfelt apology can disarm even the angriest of customers. At times when acknowledgement of service enquiry is not done promptly, agents apologize to reduce the frustration of clients.
6. Following are the differences between internal and external customers:
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Internal Customer |
External Customer |
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1. Those individuals who directly purchases the product of the company or the organization by being the part of the corporation in a way or other. |
1. Those individuals are never the part of the company and are considered as the target audience for whom products are manufactured by the organization. |
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2. These customers are associated with the organization for service delivery or operational purposes. |
2. These customers are no way associated with the organization. |
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3. Such consumers know better pros and cons of the product. |
3. Such consumers first experience the product then come to know about pros and cons. |
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4. These consumers can get the products in low price. |
4. Due to market channels and intermediaries these consumers buy the same products in higher price. |
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5. Such customers can be the beneficiary in profit for the sale of the product. |
5. Such customers can never be the beneficiary in profit for the sale of the product. |
Considering Specsavers, it can be said that the external consumers are the main target audience of the locality of London. These consumers are never the part of Specsavers and the entire revenue of the company is dependant on them. However, internal consumers are mostly the employees within the store who buys the frames for their families or have a check-up for their family members in low price as compared to the price offered to external customers.
7. Specsavers offers wide range of services including Eye-health test, Hearing test, Eye-care at home/work, Contact Lens, Glasses and wide variety of frames.
The detailed and thorough needs of the customers of Specsavers have been identified by asking questions to the customers. In addition to, considering the feedback of the customers allowed me to know what they need from Specsavers. I, as a retail supervisor, have identified the following needs of the customers after asking them questions and considering their feedback.
Providing fashionable eyewear to the customers at an affordable price.
The customers expect authentic and timely service for them.
The customers expect highest standard of service as well as expertise
The customers also expect that their concerns or service requests are acknowledged promptly.
The customers expect to have lenses that address their needs directly thereby, improving comfort.
8. The brand value of an organization is dependant on the customer satisfaction. Once the expectation of customers is met, they become satisfied. Therefore, customer satisfaction gives rise to customer retention. Increase in customer retention ensures business sustainability and therefore, Specsaversis able tocreate better customer loyalty for repetitive purchase.
On the other hand, if Specsaversis able to exceed the customer satisfaction, then it will be able to become the market leader in London and its service life-cycle maturity stage will become more elongated. This will indicate that the organization will be able to sustain for huge period in future with highest cash inflows with the progress of time.
9. Process to effectively deal with complaints:
I, being the retail supervisor of Specsavers Opticians in London, have to deal with problems mostly related to service criticality such as incomplete service delivery or unaddressed service request. So, I follow the following process:
As a retail supervisor, I identified the need of the customers by communicating with them personally and asking them questions regarding the issues and complain they have with the existing services. In addition to, considering the feedback also helped me to know the complaints the customers have. For example, once I receive a complaint from the customers such as incomplete service delivery I follow a series of steps for handling the complaint effectively.
Benefits of an Organisation Having Customer Service Standards
As a retail supervisor, the first thing I do to handle the customer problem or incomplete service delivery is to apologize to the customer. Apologizing to the customer is helpful, as I am able to explain the customer the reason of failure as well as assure and convince them. After apologizing, I acknowledge the concern of the respective customer and ensure that the acknowledgement is shared. Furthermore, I communicate with the customer in details either through call or personally. The communication is done by me in such a way that the customer regains trust on Specsavers and our service. Hence, I set the next delivery time ensuring that the query and need of the customer is addressed. Once, the entire process is completed, the customer is asked to share their valuable feedback so that further expectations and complaints are resolved effectively.
10. Following are the ways to deal with difficult customer behaviour:
1. Being patient: The most important way is to be patient and never argue with the angry customer. By getting control of the situation the customer problem can be addressed.
2. Listening to client:The client must be allowed to speak whatever problem or inconvenience that has been faced. The customer actually needs to be listened, understood and acknowledged and therefore by using body language it should be made clear that the concerns of the consumer are listened.
3. Showing care: Once the angry client has completed explaining the grievances, its time to show care. Concern for customer feelings has to be shown and sincere and interested facial expression has to be shown.
4. Trying to solve problem:The final stage is to solve the customer problem and assuring realistic procedure along with new timeframe within which service has to be delivered.
5. Never blaming customer:Within the overall process, client cannot be blamed at any point of time irrespective of the reason or the actual party involved.
11. Customer feedback helps in showcasing clients’ the point of satisfaction and point of dissatisfaction. In order to make business successful, it has to satisfy its target audience. In this competitive era of globalization, only mitigating the needs of consumers is not sufficient. Specsavers always tries to focus on customer feedback as this helps the organization to identify the service gaps due to which customers are getting dissatisfied.
Moreover, customer feedback helps Specsavers to understand the ways of service improvement by introducing new service related features. Clients are allowed to provide their feedback, which helps the organization in future decision making process so as to introduce latest diversified service in order to meet higher expectation of consumers.
12. Methods of collecting formalfeedback from customers:
1. Feedback Form: This form helps in collecting direct information about clients, their purchase, feelings and suggestions. These forms are available in each of the Specsavers stores.
2. Feedback through email: Clients are allowed to drop their response through email using the office website of Specsavers, Information will be completely private and clients are free to elaborate their concerns.
Common Barriers to Good Customer Care
3. Maze Survey: This survey is taken by Specsavers based on the feedback received after 14 days of the client’s first visit. Based on the feedback, necessary changes are made in service delivery.
Methods of collecting informalfeedback from customers:
1. Social Media: Through social media websites, informal response of the clients is gathered. Those who were the consumers of Specsavers, often comment or disclose their feelings in social media, which act as the form of feedback.
2. Search Engines: Though search engines, feedback is gathered from several blogs, articles, consumer forums. This helps in improving the service delivery.
13. Categorization of Comment: Detailed reading of the customer feedbacks can help in categorizing the customer feedbacks. Categorization of customer feedbacks facilitates in assessing the recurring pattern of the customer feedbacks. In case of Specsavers, such pattern of customer feedbacks may include speed of product delivery, helpfulness of customer service staffs and many others. In this way, the organization would be able to identifying the major issues of the customer service.
Dividing the Categories into Sub-categories: Categorization of customer feedbacks into sub categories can help the organization in identifying some items that require specific attention of branding. In this way, the organization can identify the critical issues associated with its service.
Specifying about the Nature of Feedback: Specification of customer feedback would result in classification of customer feedback into positive and negative category. Positive customer feedback would help the organization to build customer loyalty effectively. On the other hand, the assessment negative customer feedback can help the organization towards improving the service quality and determine the next move.
14. Provide Excellent Customer Service: The staffs in customer care department should deal with the customers empathically. The organization should set up new customer hot line for provide required and extra information to the customers.
Focus on Customer Loyalty: Customers are always inclined to get more and extra from what they purchase from the organization. Moreover, the organization can provide attractive discounts and offerings to the customers for making the customer highly loyal to the organization. It would definitely enhance the level of customer satisfaction of the organization.
Prompt Response to the Customer Complaints: The organization should be prompt enough to response and resolve the customer complaints. It would enhance the impression of the organization to the customers. On the other hand, customer would also see the organization as quite empathetic to them, which will enhance their level of satisfaction.
Usage of Social Media: The organization must enhance the application of social media in assessing the complaints of the customers. Though this media, the organization would also be able to understand the preferences of the customers, which will help them to customize the product and service quality for enhanced customer satisfaction.
15. Data protection act is extremely important for collecting, storing and using customer feedback in right manner. Moreover, it would ensure that no customer is influenced in way during the time of customer feedback collection. Furthermore, data protection act would ensure that the data collected from the customers are protected from any kind of misuse. The customers can be assured that their personal information collected by the customer representatives of the organization is safe and protected. It will only be used for organizational purpose for improving product and service quality. On the other hand, the Data Protection Act would also prevent the customer service executive to use any information of the customers ethically and illegally.
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