chapter 9-10 Customer Service via Technology, Encouraging Customer Loyalty

Customer Contact/Call Center

* fee-based 900 numbers * help desks

ways to show respect

* use their last name, if on the phone write down their name * stop talking when the customer begins to speak * take time to address the customer's questions or concerns * return calls or e-mails messages within reasonable amounts of time. * show up on time for scheduled meetings * do what you promised to do, and do it right the first time, within the agreed-upon time frame.

planning process basic steps:

1) set a goal 2) examine and evaluate the situation 3) identify alternatives 4) select the best alternatives 5) create an implementation plan

CRM Components

Customer relationship management; * operational, involving sales and service representatives * collaborative, involving interaction with customers through such means as e-mail. * web pages and automated voice response, or AVR, systems. * analytical, involving analyzing customer data for efforts like marketing and financial forecasting.

Offshoring

Refers to the relocation of business services from one country to another: services, production, and manufacturing.

important criteria in a relationship

TRUST; is the most important criterion for a relationship. trust depends on many factors. communicating effectively, keeping you word, caring, and trusting your customers are some of these factors.

media blending

Technology that allows a service provider to communicate with a customer via telephone while at the same time displaying information to the customer over the computer.

Automatic call distribution ACD system

Telecommunications system used by many companies in their call centers and customer care facilities to captures incoming calls and route them to available service providers.

24/7 Society

We access technology 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can communicate at any time and in virtually any place

automatic number identification system ANI

a form of caller identification system similar to home telephone caller ID systems. ANI allows incoming customers to be identified on a computer screen with background information to that they can be routed to an appropriate service representative for assistance.

customer satisfaction

a marketing term that is used to describe how well an organization is doing in providing products and services that meet or exceed a customer's needs and expectations.

Fee-based 900 number

a premium telephone number provided by organizations and individuals that, when called, can provide information and services that are billed back to the caller's local telephone bill.

robocall

a term used to describe a type of automated phone auto-dialer that delivers a personalized, prerecorded message to recipients.

telephone typewriter system TTY

a typewriter-like device used by people with hearing disabilities for typing and sending messages back and forth via telephone lines. it is also knows as telecommunications device for the deaf TDD.

spamming or spam

an abusive use of various electronic messaging systems and technology to send unsolicited and indiscriminant bulk messages to people , also used with instant messaging, web search engines, blogs, and other formats.

Contingency plans

back up systems or procedures that are implemented when regular ones break down or fail to function as intended.

planning process model

five step process for creating contingency or backup plans to better serve customers when problems arise or things do not go as expected.

emotional customer loyalty

is an emotional rather than a rational thing, term used to describe the tendency of customers to return to a product or organization regularly because of the service and satisfaction they receive.

TQM, total quality management, and continuous quality improvement, CQI

systematic approaches to identifying and quantifying best practices in an organization and industry in order to make improvements in effectiveness and efficiency.

outsourcing

the practice of contracting with third party companies or vendors outside the organization (usually in another country) to deliver products and services to customers or produce products.