by Crystal Bustamante

Created on: February 13, 2009

The need to provide quality customer service is one of the simplest concepts in business, and at the same time, one that many employees struggle with. The reason for the apparent gap between the service that customers receive and the service that they deserve and that businesses need to provide, is most often caused by one shortfall that is prevalent in a large number of organizations it is a lack of training.

While most employees must pass through some sort of orientation to begin a new job, and there even may be some mention of customer service, employees are rarely trained how to provide quality customer service. They, also, rarely understand the importance of providing service that satisfies customers and that leads to repeat business. In many service industry jobs, neither managers nor employees are invested in the success of the business. Most of these jobs are low-paying, low-skill jobs that provide no real knowledge or talents, employees in many of these positions are there only to collect a paycheck and do not feel the need to provide quality customer service. They may even, at times, feel inconvenienced by customers present in the business establishment.

The only clear way to improve customer service in these organizations is not to replace the company's employees, but instead to invest in customer service training. The question that managers must then ask is: how do we implement this training and what do we teach our employees in regards to customer service?

One of first things that employees should be taught in a customer service program is that customer service, in the words of Doug Smith, "starts with respect. If you respect the customer as a human being, and truly honor their right to be treated fairly and honestly, everything else is much easier."

It may help to imagine, with your employees, a world without customers. Observing the results of such a world may be a startling reality to some employees who had not thought about the importance of quality customer service prior to that moment. This is because everybody is a customer at some point in their life. How do you want to be treated as a customer? Do your customers deserve less? It is also because when one takes this approach, they quickly discover that without customers businesses would not be able to operate since all businesses exist to sell something to someone. And without customers, your employees would not have their jobs.

Once your employees realize the importance of maintaining good customer

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