And, somehow we're back where we started. The customer is king I can draw something else of value from my conversation with Garry. He's stayed in business for years because he really believes in customer service. If there's a way to get the job done, and he has to burn the midnight oil to do it, he's there. While the MBAs talk about maximizing the output of human resources, there's a point where service delivery suffers.
Customer service is on the decline in many retail environments.
Some smart retailers have learned that they can make more money by offering remarkable customer service instead of trying to shave a few bucks off their prices. The commercial Web sites that become successful in the future will have to consider providing exceptional customer service. It starts by ensuring customers can find answers to their questions on the Web. It continues by ensuring that customers who cannot find their questions answered on the Web will get speedy replies when they ask their questions by e-mail. The next step is monitoring the e-mailed questions to see which questions really should be answered on the Web site.