What is Customer Service?

Customer Service is an organization’s ability to supply the client’s wants and needs. It is the practice of providing clients with a positive, helpful experience:

  • When they join Circle of Care,
  • Throughout the time they stay at Circle of Care
  • After they leave should they have any additional questions, etc.

Customer Service also outlines standards for how we provide service to a client before, during, and after their visit with their worker.

Customer Service is what the customer perceives and remembers of the service they received. 

Customer service is MORE than the service you provide – it’s about the experience while receiving that service.

The Experience

In understanding the customer experience, it is important to remember that:

  • People need to feel understood
  • People need to feel like we belong
  • People want to feel special
  • People need to feel like we have control

How do we do this?

  • Active listening
  • Taking the time to understand what is important to your client and doing your best to deliver upon that
  • Being courteous, polite, helpful, etc.

Best Practices

Do:

  • Spend more time listening than talking
  • Be aware of assumptions & judgements
  • Ask open ended questions and review content
  • Be aware of the other person’s emotions
  • Try to create emotional memorable experiences
  • Know that even if you have done everything ‘right,’ the customer might feel differently
  • Try to recover the service if things are not going well

Do Not:

  • Finish people’s sentences
  • Daydream
  • Allow distractions to interfere with listening
  • Take over the conversation
  • Plan your response while the other person is talking
  • Assume what people want

Service Recovery

Service recovery are the actions you should take when a client feels upset or dissatisfied. These actions include:

  • LISTEN…..generously!
  • Recognize & respect emotions
  • Apologize
  • Resolve/Follow-up
  • Thank you!
  • Offer further assistance

Changing the Conversation

Person-Centered Language