1. Customer Service: A Practical Approach, 5th ed. By Elaine K. Harris
Chapter 4:
Strategy for Formulating a Plan for Success

2. Strategy:
A plan for positive action.

3. Planning:
Finding a recognizable direction to focus on. More specifically, planning is the establishment of specific customer service goals.

4. Importance of Infrastructure
Customer service depends on the existence of an appropriate infrastructure.

5. Infrastructure:
Made up of the networks of people, physical facilities, and information that support the production of customer service.

6. Culture:
Composed of the values, beliefs, and norms shared by a group of people.

7. Examples of Culture in Specific Industries
Typical workday hours
Industry lingo
Peer accountability
Levels of certification
Extra company-sponsored activities

8. Three Ways to Create a Customer Friendly Culture
Practice the Golden Rule.
View internal customers as number one.
Work hard, play hard.

9. High-touch customers:
Requires a high level of customer interaction.

10. Examples of High Touch Bank lobbies Specialty stores Hotel lobbies
Purchase of real estate
Lawyers and accountants
Prestige restaurants

11. Low-touch customers:
Expect a low level of customer service.

12. Examples of Low Touch Pike passes (debit cards used on turnpikes)
Automatic teller machines
Express rental car checkout
Hotel bill viewing on television and express checkout
Pay-at-the-pump gasoline
Fast-food drive-up windows
Do-it-yourself copy chops
Online bill paying
Online account management
Downloading of music or ringtones

13. Consumption behavior:
Refers to the customer’s usage and payment patterns.

14. When identifying consumption behavior, ask the following:
What are customers buying?
Why did they buy it?
Why did they buy more today that they did in our last interaction?
Why did they call with a question?
What was their question?
How much did they buy?
Have they bought from us before?
How did they pay?
When will they be installing/assembling the product?
What else have they bought recently?

15. Market Segmentation:
Dividing customers into groups with similar characteristics.

16. Sample Customer Service Segments
Types of service needed or desired
Similarities among your current customers
Peak hours of your business and the specific customers doing business at those times.
The among of service desired
Creation of your own segments that are appropriate to your product or service

17. Guidelines for Creating a Strategy
Segment your customers.
Identify the largest and most profitable customer groups.
Determine your customers’ expectation.
Develop a plan to achieve their expectations efficiently.
Implement the plan.
Set an evaluation timeline.
Evaluate and continue to improve the strategy.