Measuring Excellent Customer Service

For the past two postings I have written, we have looked at some issue that make for great customer service, things that you can apply to your work if you are seeking a customer service position. I wish to now continue to look at the issue of what makes excellent customer service, but looking at it from the angle of ways to actually gauge customer service.

This is an area you are likely to be asked to discuss in an interview situation, so it is good to have some thoughts on the subject. While customer service is measurable in the heat of the moment between you and the customer, service itself is not a physical thing that the company can measure how much of it they have in stock. Instead, it is something that needs measured by looking at other company statistics.

Customer surveys are one tool that companies can use to gauge their service. Asking the customer to fill out a very brief survey asking them how their experience was, and suggestions to make things better, can give vital feedback to a company. From these surveys, they can also determine the kind of issues and the frequency of the issues and complaints, which show them the areas they need to target.

The customers who return for repeat business are a valid way of determining good service is being given. If a customer continues to come back, then at least you can determine that customer service is not scaring them off. On top of that, tracking how many new customers you have is also a good sign that good word is getting out to the public, and bringing in new business. Happy customers are more likely to spread the word and refer your company to others, so that is a good sign.

Watching and tracking the number of returned items to a company can also help in determining how customer service is going. If certain items tend to be returned more frequently, or even different items but all from the same supplier, then taking a hard look at doing future business with that manufacturer/supplier is needed. Good products mean happy customers, which usually equals return customers. While a defective item is not necessarily the fault of the company who sells it, to the customer, they see the person they bought it from more than they do the manufacturer who made it. Continuing to sell items from a company with a high return record, will not boost your customer service record.

And finally, if there are other companies in the general area, and they are outperforming your company in sales, then it is a possibility that their customer service is a tad bit better to draw a larger customer base. That is not always the case, but it is worth considering as a factor. If most all other factors are similar (location, time in service, products, etc.) between the two companies, yet one outperforms the other regularly, then there is something else drawing the people in. That could easily be the customer service.

All of these things play a part in assisting a company in determining how their customer service may be affecting their business. So, if you land that customer service job, keep these things in mind, and work hard to provide the best service available, to assist you company and in the long run benefit you.

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, and musician. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Customer Service Jobs blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.