What's it all about?
A well-known rule of business is that it's easier to sell to your existing customers than to find new ones. A satisfied customer is not only a good advert for your business, but they're likely to buy from you again. An unhappy customer, on the other hand, is not just a customer you've lost - they can also do untold damage to your reputation.
No wonder, then, that a whole field has grown up devoted to keeping customers happy. In a small shop, customer service can be as simple - and important - as the person behind the counter giving a friendly greeting and helping shoppers find what they're looking for. Larger businesses and other organisations might employ a dedicated customer service team, whose job it is to answer questions, give advice and offer refunds on faulty products or services. They're also the ones who have to sort out problems and deal with complaints.
Customer service often involves dealing with the public face-to-face, but as many companies now have clients all round the world, telephone call centres and computer helpdesks are becoming increasingly important.
As well as serving their existing customers, businesses need to find new ones - and to persuade them to buy things. This is where sales comes in - salespeople persuade customers to buy products or services, and the business they bring in keeps the customer services team busy.
Customer service is at the heart of most business activity, so the skills gained from the Apprenticeships in this section will prove valuable across a range of industries and roles.
- Advice and guidance (Contact www.ento.co.uk)
- Contact centres (Contact www.instituteofcustomerservice.com)
- Customer service (Contact www.instituteofcustomerservice.com)
- Property services (Contact www.assetskills.org)
- Retail (Contact www.skillsmartretail.com)
- Sales and telesales (Contact www.msssb.org)