Improving customer service strategies at ABC Office Supplies

Coordinate the Implementation of Customer Service Strategies

In this paper, we are going to be looking at how customer service strategies can be improved at ABC Office Supplies. This will be accomplished by focusing on: studying the background of the organization, how new customer service strategies, the way customer needs are identified, examining three customer service strategies that can be enacted, developing a procedure for dealing with complaints, looking at how client feedback will be collected, evaluating customer service in the future and understanding the way the different teams will be involved in the process. Once this takes place, is when we can show how this will help to reverse the negative sales trends for the firm.

Introduction

Over the last several months, the city branch of ABC office supplies has been facing a major decline in sales. This is because there is confusion in the way financial data is collected and stored (which is impacting the quality of services). To fully understand what is happening requires looking at the issues that are impacting this office. This will be accomplished by: studying the background of the organization, how new customer service strategies will be implemented, the way customer needs will be identified, examining three customer service strategies that can be implemented, developing a procedure for dealing with complaints, looking at how client feedback will be collected, evaluating customer service in the future and understanding the way the different teams will be involved in the process. Together, these different elements will provide specific strategies that can address the mains causes of the problems impacting the city branch.

Provide a short background to the organization / work unit

The city branch has an atmosphere that is very laid back. This has allowed various staff members to be able to work part time and it has helped to keep labor costs down. However, a problem has emerged within this lax atmosphere. What is happening is the majority of the sales inside the branch are approximately 65% cash. While the remaining amount is taken care of through invoices that are sent to customers at the end of the month. This lack discipline inside the workplace is setting the stage for lower amounts of productivity and higher levels of waste. The combination of these factors is contributing to the declining sales inside the branch. If some kind of actions is not taken, the odds are high that there could be a major restructuring required to deal with these issues over the long-term.

Explain how you will implement customer service strategies

The best way to enact any kind of customer service strategies is to think preemptively. This means that the entire organization must be able to catch problems while they are small. At the same time, everyone needs to understand what customers are using the product for and how they view the quality. When an organization is utilizing this kind of approach it will make implementing different guidelines more effective. This will help to improve the experience that customers are having. Over the course of time, this will assist the firm in becoming known for their customer service (which will lead to a better image). (Yaskovitz 2010)

Explain how customer service needs will be identified and considered when planning the delivery of services.

The basic strategy that will identify the needs of customers is to use marketing research from various academic journals and industry reports. This will help to recognize any kind of trends inside the marketplace. After this occurs, is when the organization can conduct its own random survey. In this case, there will be a focus on asking customers what can be improved and the kinds of services they are looking for. This will help to identify their needs. These areas can be used during the planning stages to create a delivery process that will go above and beyond their expectations. Once this takes place, is when ABC Office Supplies will be able to increase sales by offering better service. (Vitez 2011)

Identify three customer service strategies and explain how these will be effectively implemented and managed within the work team.

Three customer service strategies that can be used to increase sales include: responding quickly, keeping clients informed and making everyone feel important. The way these different ideas can be implemented into the branch is through changing the policies. This means that everyone must take a more professional approach when dealing with a host of issues. In the future, this will help to create a foundation of trust in the quality of services that are provided by the firm. (Hess 2011)

How will you involve the team in this process?

The way the team will be involved in the process is to have each member see how they are playing a vital role in reaching different objectives. This requires changing the atmosphere and implementing a system that will have greater amounts of accountability. To achieve these goals, select allies should be identified and work with managers in pushing for these transformations. This will help to improve compliance and it will provide employees with a reason to support these policies. Once this is implemented, it will increase productivity and quickly respond to the needs of customers.