1. CUSTOMERS
Customer service is what an organisation does to meet customer expectations and produce customer satisfaction

2. Types of Customers Internal customers - employees
External customers – consumers, other businesses

3. Customers Cheaper to retain existing customers than attract new ones
Attracting new customers is more expensive due to costs of increased/wider promotion to inform potential customers about your business/product
If a business deals with customers effectively it is more likely to keep them

4. Customer Service Value Added
Value added means what an organisation does on top of the basic product/service
Customer service is a value added
Effective customer service can give a firm competitive advantage
Effective customer service encourages customer loyalty

5. Customer Service
Characteristics of effective customer service can be summarised under three main headings:
Timeliness – eg calls answered in 20 seconds
Accuracy – eg giving customers the correct order 100% of the time
Appropriateness – eg if a customer has two issues, both of them should be addressed
Customer service is the responsibility of everyone in an organisation
Businesses should have a Customer Service Policy/Charter

6. Customer Service
Procedures should be in place to deal effectively with customer complaints
More than half of people now complain if they are unhappy with a product/service
Dealing with complaints effectively has a number of benefits for a business:
If the complaint is resolved efficiently customers will recommend the business to their friends
80% of customers would tell others if a complaint had been handled badly

7. Relevant Websites