What Is Customer Service Essay, Research Paper

It have been many attempts to define customer service. Depending on an organization’s focus,such as retailing,industry,manufacturing,or service,the goals in providing customer service may be different. Some common characteristics for customer-focused organizations include:

The organization has both internal and external customers.

The focus is on meeting the needs of the customer.

Customer find information,products, and services easily accessible.

The concept of customer service is not new.Over the years it has evolved from a meager beginning into a multibillion-dollar industry.In the past when many people worked on farms, small artisans and business owners provided customer service to their neighbors. Many smalltowns and villages had their own blacksmith ,general store,boarding house,restaurant, bar, barber shop ,and similar service-oriented establishments. For people living in more rural areas, peddlers of kitchen wares, medicine, and other goods made their way from one location to another to serve their customers and distribute various products.

Additionally , to supplement income, many people made and sold or batered products from their homes in what came to be known as “cotage industries.” As trains and stagecoaches began to cross the countryside , they carried vendors and supplies, as well as provided transportation. During that whole era, a major difference from customer service today was that the owners and chief executive officers were also motivated frontline employees working face-to-face with their customers.They had a vested interest in providing good service and in succeeding.

When industry,manufacturing, and larger cities started to grow,the service industry really started to gain ground. In the 1800s , as the mail services matured, companies such as Montgomery Ward and Sears Rooebuck introduced the mail order catalog to address the meeds of dispersed customers .

Today, business environments in the United States and other developing nations have changed dramatically as the economy has shifted from dependence on manufacturing to a focus on providing timely,quality service. The age of the service economy is now alive and strong.