by Dennis Aubuchon

Created on: June 16, 2010   Last Updated: June 17, 2010

Quality is important in customer service for without it customers may be lost and new customers may not be forthcoming.  Customer service is a critical aspect of running a business.  It can either makes a good impression or a bad impression on customers.  In businesses there are departments or locations that are titled customer service, but customer service is more than a department.  Customer service involves every employee of a business and their attitude and willingness, or unwillingness, to satisfy customer needs. 

The quality of customer service involves activity before, during and after a sale.  When customers are unhappy about a product or service they have purchased it is the customer service they receive that makes all the difference.  Many have their own concept of what customer service means to  as individuals.  The detail of customer service changes based on the detail and complexity of the product or service purchased.  Quality customer service is something consumers should demand as they have a right to expect it.  As a business person customer service is something that has an impact on either retaining customers or losing them. 

The definition of customer service as defined by www.dictionary.com is assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services.  This definition says it all.  Customer service involves not only people who buy a company’s products or services but also those who use them.  True customer service will have a positive impact on retaining customers while bad customer service will in all likelihood cause a company to lose customers.  While the definition cited in this paragraph identifies the characteristics of customer service, I am going to take it one step further.

Customer service also involves helping people find the products or services they want or need.  When a customer walks through the doors of a business they should be met with employees who will ask them if they can help them find what they are looking for.  Many times I have walked into businesses and this does not happen.  This is not good customer service.  While some people may not want to be met by someone as you walk in the door of a business it makes good business sense to do so.  People can defer the help if they do not want or need it.  Other times while looking for a product

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