Customer care pivotal for corporate growth

by Lalin Fernandopulle

Around 44 percent of customers across the globe are neither happy nor unhappy due to the average treatment they receive from the service provider. The average or the neutral treatment offered to customers will have a negative impact on the service provider. Therefore, maintaining consistency in customer care is pivotal for corporate growth, Director Sipcom-1, Dhammika Kalapuge said.

Addressing a public program on Customer Service Excellence Kalapuge said customer care in Sri Lanka is average and needs improvement if corporate excellence is to be achieved. Employees need to be motivated, energetic and performing to attract customers and increase productivity.

Customer care experience could be categorised into three groups such as happy, average and agitated. Globally happy customers are around 30 to 40 percent and the agitated are nearly 10 to 20 percent. The neutral customer who is neither happy nor unhappy is commonly found in the corporate world.

Customer care varies according to person, place and time. One's state of mind depends heavily on the level of care he or she provides to the customer. A person's level of customer care could change according to time and place as well, he said.

Citing an example Kalapuge said a particular bank cashier sounded very positive, energetic and cooperative to the customer on Valentine's Day. An employee in the same capacity at another counter was rude to the customer after a telephone conversation with the partner.

It is 1/9th of an iceburg that is visible to the naked eye. Likewise we see only a fraction of our lives. Much needs to be unearthed and discovered. We need to understand the human psychology when we deal with customers. It is then that we could provide a good service to the customer, Kalapuge said He said there are customers who cannot be satisfied or made happy at any cost.

They will find ways and means to complain and grumble. Such customers make a mountain out of a molehill. There will be a small percentage of agitating customers at any given time against service providers.

Price cutting is not a sustainable means to attract customers. It could be done for a short period but not always since the service provider will have to bear the brunt. What attracts the customer is not merely the price but the services provided to make him or her feel happy at the end of the day.

Speed and human touch are key elements to keeping the customer happy. Speed is crucial because time is money in terms of business. The one who is quick will provide efficient and effective customer care service. Laxity and lethargy are negative factors for organisations who aspire to grow. Equally important is the human touch which is necessary to attract customers. If the service provider is harsh then he will lose his customers, Kalapuge said.

Kalapuge said to offer good services to customers language plays a vital role. Service providers should ask how may I serve you and not can I help you. Polite and encouraging words will make customers feel happy.

Children should come first in customer care since they need a lot of attention. A child's happiness will be a deciding factor for parents. Next should be women since they are the decision makers at home.

To serve customers better we need to cater to the customer's agenda. Mahatma Gandhi said, "A customer is the most important visitor on our premises.

He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an outsider in our business but a part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him but he is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so".