Class 21: Customer Service and Support – 11/19

1. The internet has the capacity to increase customer expectations about service levels and also to be the vehicle that delivers service that meets or exceeds those expectations. Take a position on this statement and be prepared to discuss it.
The internet has the capacity to increase customer expectations about service levels and also to be the vehicle that delivers service that meets or exceeds those expectations. Internet in general has made enormous changes in the way customer service is delivered. So yes the internet does have the capacity to increase customer expectation to even an extreme, at times making it a little more difficult, with the rapid growth of the internet, to either meet or exceed these expectations. A while ago before internet, it was always the smiles and the personal answers to a customer’s everyday questions, now that we have the internet, it has to become more than just only that. Customers demand more service and support at the same time technology enables companies to provide them in a cost-effective manner. Of course, the internet contributed to increasing customer expectations about service quality. Not only do customers expect good service but also expect to be able to access this service through multiple channels, whether its by email, live chat, telephone call, self-service on websites, and etc.
2. What is the concept of anticipatory customer service? What role can it play in successful customer service delivery?
Anticipatory customer service is the concept of being proactive, not simply waiting passively until customers want service. Companies must anticipate potential problem areas before they become troublesome, develop solutions, and provide service that exceeds customer expectations. Forrester Research says that a firm needs to do 3 things in order to implement anticipatory customer service: (1) build customer scenarios, using data including call center reports, e-mail logs, chat transcripts and web site software that can report unusual volumes of activity and uncover patterns in day-today service queries. (2) Make customer service pervasive by fulfilling common request before the customer even asks ad ensuring that service is readily available throughout the value chain. (3) design the service process for “seamless escalation”  firms must guide customers to the service they need without having to move through frustrating layers of info that does not fit the needs of the customers
3. Can you identify any ethical issues that are inherent in sophisticated customer service programs?
Privacy issues, ownership, control, accuracy, and security.