Abstract
Whether a company sells brilliant technological gadgets or is a simple retailer, customer service should be a key strategy focus. Without customers, a company has no sales, no profits and serves no purpose. Failure to focus on customer service is a hallmark of underperforming companies. It’s not enough for a company to proclaim it is customer focused, it must be focused on the wants and needs of its customers every day.
When a company gets a customer, it must do everything possible to close the sale, and provide enough value so the customer keeps coming back. Some companies fail because they focus on closing the current sale and not how the customer’s experience will lead to the next sale.
In this chapter we will discuss the relationship between customer service, understanding customer needs at a deep level, and customer identification and tracking. We will also discuss firing customers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aresti, A, Markellou P , Mousouroul L , Sirmakessis S , Tsakalidis A (2007) A movie e-shop recommendation model based on web usage and ontological data. JECO 5(3):17–34 July–Sept
Brubaker H (2007a) Canadian Bank agrees to purchase commerce. Phila Inq, A01, City D-Edition, 3 Oct
Brubaker H (2007b) Commerce Bancorp will be acquired by TD Banknorth. Phila Bus J, 15 Oct
Denton KD (1995) Process mapping trims cycle time. HRMagazine 40(2) Feb
Kaihla P, Baltatzis P, Collingwood H, Copeland M, Finn B, Hamner S, Jacobson D, Nachtigal J, Schonfeld E, Sloan P, Thomas O (2006). Best kept secrets of the world’s best companies. Business 2.0 7(3):82–96, Apr
Leung S (2003) The lure and danger of big company jobs. Wall St J, B9 Sept 2
Robert S (1999) Valuable business lessons form IBM’s turnaround CEO Lou Gerstner. Bottom Line/Personnel, http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/article.html?article_id=153372. Accessed 15 Nov
Rosenberg JM (2005) Fixing customer woes with holistic approach. Phila Inq D11, 22 Aug
Smith J (2006) Businesses missing a key ingredient: customer service. Phila Inq D7, 13 Nov
Timothy A (2003) Deflated: how Goodyear blew its chance to capitalize on a rival’s woes. Wall St J A1 and A10, 19 Feb
Wachovia Corporation (2008). Wachovia statement: Wachovia’s board approves Wells Fargo Merger proposal. Wachovia Corporation, Press Release. Charlotte, North Carolina, 3 Oct
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vance, D.E. (2009). Customer Service and Relationships. In: Corporate Restructuring. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01786-5_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01786-5_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-01785-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-01786-5
eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsBusiness and Management (R0)