Customer Service Strategies

Abstract

Customer service is an increasingly important factor both for competitive advantage and customer retention. Indeed, the service element of many product offerings is sometimes the only aspect which distinguishes one organisation’s marketing efforts from those of another. In addition, once a supplier/customer relationship has been established, customer service provides a significant contribution to the augmented product offering which enhances the value of a purchase and cements relationships. To manage this adequately, in some organisations, customer service is treated as a separate aspect of the marketing mix for which individual plans and strategies are created.