Customer Service is a very important part of any business. It is the way services are delivered to the customer. Some businesses have very little customer service and others have a great deal. Customer service becomes more important when the customer relies upon the products or services your business offers.
My first experience in customer service was working at my father's service station in Oregon. High school kids were hired to pump gas for customer vehicles (since you can't pump your own gas in Oregon). We were trained to be the best at what we did. The most friendly, courteous, and helpful service station attendants you could find. The station did very well with such excellent staff.
Throughout my career in information technology, I brought those high standards with me, and found great success, raises, and promotions in every company I worked for.
As the years went by, I saw that customer service skills were beginning to slide. Today it's not easy to find good customer service, where the business is willing to go the extra mile to earn your valuable dollars.
This has never been more true than in technology services delivered to small businesses. As a small business owner myself, I'm challenged to find the best services for the best prices, and I've certainly found imbalances in that proposition. Time after time, we find small businesses who have found some cheap work for cheap prices from other technology service providers. Here's what great customer service means to us:
1. Take ownership of the problem. Commit to resolving the issue, regardless of the cause or what needs to happen to fix it.
2. Stay in communication. Regular updates and and expectation of completion of the issue.
3. Clear explanations. If you were the expert you might not need the help, but you shouldn't have to be an expert to understand the issue.
We went into business to change the standards of customer service in IT. We take ownership, keep you in the loop, and do our best to help you understand what is going on, so you can make informed decisions about the technology in your business.
Wade Stewart is the Managing Member of Stewart and Son Computer Services, LLC in University Place, WA and serves as a trusted partner to many local small and medium sized businesses.
You can read more from Wade at Stewart and Son by visiting the following blog sites:
http://stewartandson.wordpress.com/
http://smokingwires.blogspot.com/
Content Copyright Wade Stewart (C) 2014
Labels: computer, customer service, managed services, small business
