| By :
Martin Hofschroer
Looking back on the consumer service trends of the past year can help organisations acquire new customers in 2011. Many companies had to reduce their consumer service training budgets in 2010 and this saw many concentrate on how to make the most from their customer-facing departments. Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, told MyCustomer.com that the current climate showed a "renaissance in customer service" as more companies became more aware of consumer needs. Ms Causon said developments in customer service were shown by the fact that an increasing number of businesses were integrating their service across departments in their organisation. She told MyCustomer: "There is more of a discussion in the boardroom about how we focus on more of a customer-centric strategy rather than it being a bolt-on or just about the delivery aspect." This approach shows signs of systems thinking as the method is a way of helping people view their organisations not only from a customers' point of view, but from a broader perspective and focusing on the whole organisation as a complete system. Using systems thinking is beneficial to a business because it is a powerful approach to improving service or production, reducing failure and mistakes, and eliminating waste at every level of the organisation. Paul Greenberg, executive vice president of the CRM Association, told MyCustomer that customer service became a priority in 2010 with the overall consumer experience playing a pivotal role in strategy. Mr Greenberg went onto say that more employees were being trained on how to meet customer needs at every level of consumer actions so that there was an increased likelihood that demands could be met at the first instance. He told MyCustomer: "What is happening is that even sales reps are becoming customer service reps now, meaning they have to be empowered to take care of actions that customers are demanding." Creating an emotional connection between brand and customer was another key trend in 2010 and this bond can be boosted through the use of social media whether through a Facebook page or Twitter account. Using social media to improve customer service was a learning curve for many as a large number of organisations are still to get to grips with the technology and continue to remain impersonal. Reaching out to customers via social media sites is a great way to investigate complaints and address any problems that may arise as well as helping to shape strategy in the future.
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