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| Abundance by Dr. M. Abel |
Service is an important component of customer
retention, business development, and improved product sales. Companies that
fail to develop customer service also fail to develop trust with their customers
which mean they may lose a lifetime of patronage. Research by Webber, et. al.
(2012) discusses provider service orientation and how this predicted cognitive
trust much more than customer agreeableness.
Trust is the root of all commerce and relationships.
Cognitive trust is grounded in the perception of another’s reliability,
dependability and competence (McAllister, 1995). The way in which customers
view customer service representatives is important for the retention of those
customers.
Let us assume for a moment that you have a problem
with a product and bring it forward to a customer service representative. When
the representative doesn’t appear to understand the problem, doesn’t follow
through on company promises, and makes a number of mistakes within the service
process that trust will dissipate.
We all have experienced these types of situations
from time-to-time. You have a problem, can’t get it resolved, and the customer
service representative has no idea what to do. The implication is that the poor
performance of the representative also changes the perception of the company
and their products. The representative actually does represent the company in
the customer’s mind.
Strong customer service is a “predisposition to provide superior service through responsiveness,
courtesy, and genuine desire to satisfy customer needs” (Bettencourt, et.
al, 2001). This requires a level of listening and understanding the options
available to meet that customer’s needs. When staff are undertrained, not
knowledgeable or indifferent they fail to fulfill their function at an adequate
level.
The study found that trust is built when customers
go above and beyond the call of duty to service the customer. Their personality
has a direct impact on how the customer perceives both the services offered and
the service representative they are talking with. Ensuring positive demeanor
that is focused on the customer and having the competence to meet that need is
important for customer retention and future sales.
McAllister, D. (1995). Affect-
and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in
organizations. Academy of Management
Journal, 38, 24–59.
Webber, et. al. (2012).
Personality and trust fosters service quality. Journal of Business Psychology, 27
