Customer service

According to Turban et al. (2002),

Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer expectation.

In short, Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.

Finding new customers is much more expensive than retaining existing ones.  Customer service is more than just keeping customers happy.  It's about revenue, because a lost customer means lost revenue and an unhappy customer can damage your reputation.

Some aspects of effective customer service are:

• knowing your customers' needs;
• identifying your key service activities;
• delivering superior service;
• follow-up.

In a competitive marketplace it makes sense to aim to provide superior service.  Customers base their purchasing decisions on the service they receive, not just price, quality and availability.