There have been articles and books written on it, seminars and courses held and consultants have been kept busy putting programs in place and training staff. Customer service is a bit like apple pie - impossible to criticise. And yet, many businesses, for all the effort that has been put in still do not have it right. This is epitomised by two petrol stations near where I live. Neither of these two is any good.
Customer service is about fixing the customer's problem.
For a petrol station that means filling the car up with petrol and oil and cleaning the windscreen if it needs it. What I want at a petrol station is to have these things done quickly and efficiently. A computer sales company needs to work out what sort of thing the buyer wants and then configure the equipment in the right way. Throughout the whole process, the person serving the customer should be cheerful and relaxed - not trying too hard but nor ignoring the customer. It is the customer's interests that are paramount - that means filling the car with petrol quickly or asking lots of questions to find out what sort of computer system would be best.