Customer Service in a Nutshell

By Freddy Davis

If customer service does not generate loyalty,
there is something wrong with what you are doing.

Any effective approach to customer service is going to result in making people feel good. But the most effective customer service takes it one step further – it creates a relationship. People like to do business with those they like. Cause your customers to like those in your organization and you will generate the kind of customer loyalty that keeps people coming to you. In this book you will learn:

- What is the essence of customer service,
- What is the bottom line of customer service,
- What are the priorities of customer service,
- How can individuals within an organization enhance customer service,
- What can the organization do to enhance its customer service, and
- How can an organization effectively deal with customer service problems

• Language: English
• Publisher: Freddy Davis
• Release date: Jan 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465757449

Freddy Davis

Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is married to Deborah and has one son, Ken. Freddy did his undergraduate studies at Florida State University in Speech Communications and received his MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition to his pastoral ministry and work with MarketFaith Ministries, Freddy served overseas as an international missionary for nearly 17 years (in Japan and in the former Soviet Republic of Latvia). Freddy is the author of numerous books, workbooks and other works.

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Customer Service in a Nutshell

How to Develop Vise-Grip Customer Loyalty

by Freddy Davis

Customer Service in a Nutshell

By Freddy Davis

Copyright © 2005 Freddy Davis

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 - What is Customer Service?

Chapter 2 - The Bottom Line of Customer Service

Chapter 3 - The Priority of Customer Service

Chapter 4 - Customer Service for the Individual

Chapter 5 - Customer Service for the Organization

Chapter 6 - Dealing with Customer Service Problems

Chapter 7 - Getting Customer Service Right

Introduction

A couple of years ago I changed banks. It’s not that I was looking to make a change. In fact, I had been with my previous institution for well over thirty years. I opened my very first bank account with them when I was sixteen years old. They lent me the money for my first car and, through the years, for several other things that were important in my life. I would actually say that I was predisposed to stay with them.

But something changed. This bank grew larger and larger and, at some point, began having management problems. To try and solve some of their issues they instituted policies that drove me away.

One day I deposited a large check into my account. I had bills to pay, so I began writing checks on the account. No problem, right? With that large deposit in the account I had plenty to cover my expenses.

But, a few days later, I discovered that they had put a hold on my deposit (wanted to make sure that my deposit had cleared, you know). Well, as soon as I found out I made a bee line to the bank to try and work out the problem. If checks had started bouncing from insufficient funds, that would have been a real disaster.

The person I was directed to was a low level customer support person. Unfortunately, he was not very sympathetic to my situation. I pled my case before him for nearly an hour. He finally spoke to his supervisor and got permission to release just enough to keep the checks I had already written from bouncing.

Needless to say, that whole situation really made me upset. But over all I am a pretty even tempered person, and once I moved past the immediate crisis I got over it and went on about my life.

If that had been the only problem, I would probably never have considered a change. But shortly thereafter, another big issue emerged.

Only a few weeks after the check on hold debacle, I received a letter in the mail from the bank. It stated that they were getting ready to change one of their policies. From the very beginning of its existence, this bank did not charge for having a checking account. That had been one of the main reasons I liked doing business with them in the first place. But with the rule change, anyone who did not use direct deposit was going to be assessed a monthly service charge.

Now, in general terms, I don’t have any problem with direct deposit. In fact, in situations where it is possible, it is very convenient to just have my money put directly into my account. I don’t have to go anywhere to pick it up or make an extra trip to the bank to make a deposit. And, I know exactly when my funds will be available. But this time there was a problem with my particular situation. I was self-employed and was not in a position to do direct deposit.

So, I went up to the bank again to see if we could come to some accommodation. Again I got a defiant attitude from