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Do You Really Need A Customer Care Center? Think Again.



First things first. I acknowledge the fact that kind of employment opportunities Customer Care Centers create all over the world. Customer service, especially in the shape of a call-center - is to customers one of the most visible and significant aspects of organizational performance. 

The potential benefits to a business from providing a consistently high level of customer service include:
• Increased sales – more likely to try out other products/services too
• Customer loyalty –more likely to be a source of repeat business and to recommend the business to friends and family
• Enhanced public image – helps build a brand and provides protection if there is a slip-up in customer service
• More effective workforce – satisfied customers help create a positive working environment

Moreover it tells what are the pain areas that need to addressed and resolved.

So far so good. This unfortunately happens to be one side of the story. Let's try and look at it from a slightly different perspective.

A significant number of calls that come to the call centers are pertaining to complaints (unsatisfactory service, faulty / damaged products, poor quality, confusing manuals, improper communication, unwanted services, billing just to name a few). Though customer care centers have a well disciplined process for resolution of issues and concerns, my questions why should this questions arise in the first place at all.

Most of the complaints received by a customer care center can be reduced or eliminated by ensuring the point of origin of a complaints is dealt with aptly. A major chunk of calls can get reduced if the service is satisfactory, the product information is accurately communicated and demonstrated, billing errors removed, ensuring proper packaging, timely service. 

I know it sounds like wishful thinking but just consider the impact if organizations started to invest in people, processes and systems that reduced reliance on customer care centers by addressing the issues at their crux. Instead of investing heavily in state of the art sophisticated technology that does nothing substantial than adding to list of unhappy customers, why can't organizations just look at potential benefits that could be gained from relatively lesser number of unhappy customers.

It's one thing to celebrate milestones achieved by a customer care center like the billionth call successfully resolved for example. But dear can you afford to celebrate when you have a billion of complaints out there? Definitely time to give it a thought. 










References:
http://www.tutor2u.net/blog/index.php/business-studies/comments/qa-what-are-the-main-benefits-of-good-customer-service

http://www.businessballs.com/customer_service.htm

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