UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT CUSTOMER SERVICE LEVELS

Contrary to popular belief, it is your duty as a manager to make sure that your staff consistently provides excellent customer service. Whether someone works with the public or not, they are all included.

Most individuals are unaware that everyone has a duty to provide some level of customer service. Although you might not have any external clients, you undoubtedly have internal clients. For instance, if you work in human resources, it is your duty to provide excellent service to any employee who requests payroll or training. If you work in accounting, you might find that you're in charge of giving department leaders who need financial reports excellent customer service. You get it now?

According to Andrew Gibson, there are three main levels of customer service. The three levels are the anticipated, desired, and unanticipated levels.

Expected level

The expected level is the bare minimum quality level you can deliver while still getting credit for a job well done.

Desired level

Even if it occasionally involves going above and beyond, the desired level of customer service is the one your customers hope you will provide.

Unanticipated level

The unanticipated level of service is when you go above and beyond what is required, perform perfectly, make your customer extremely pleased, and keep doing so.

The unexpected level of customer service might, in fact, go the other way, but for the purposes of this discussion, we'll concentrate on the good.

What level would you be on if you had to choose the kind of customer service you offer to your "clients"? Did you even know that it was your duty to ensure that your team provided excellent customer service? If not, it's time to take a step back and assess your team's priorities!