Providing good customer service requires hard work
By Tjipto Ramuni
Only three types of people can provide good service to customers. They are company owners, employees of well-managed companies, and professionals.
JAKARTA (JP): Prominent musician Harry Rusli sent a complaint letter to a news weekly recently.
In the letter, published by the weekly last month, he said humorously that he was disappointed by the poor service of a cellular phone operator.
After explaining the reason for his disappointment, he said in the letter that he planned to quit the service and find another operator offering better service.
When a well-known figure like Harry sends a complaint letter to the mass media, it indicates that he is very disappointed with the company's customer service.
And the publication of such a letter will surely damage the reputation of the company.
Customers are usually silent when they are satisfied, but they tend to express their disappointment through the mass media when they are unsatisfied. Good customer service is very important in marketing, particularly when the business competition is tight.
In marketing, there are many kinds of services, namely after sales service, value-added service and customer service. All of these are very important and can influence the sales and income of companies.
Products that are sold in large quantities are usually supported by good services.
Citibank, a market leader in the credit card business, for example, sustains its customers by offering excellent services.
The bank, for instance, offers its gold credit card holders the use of the VIP lounge at any Indonesian airport, even if they are flying economy class.
Toyota Kijang vans, the most popular automotive vehicle in Indonesia, and Honda motorcycles are good examples of products whose producers provide good services for their customers.
They have workshops in every town, so customers will not have to fear when they have problems with their vehicles.
The success of China-made motorcycles in Indonesia is in part due to their components' compatibility with Honda motorcycles' components.
Owners of these motorcycles, therefore, can have their vehicles repaired at Honda workshops. But it is understandable if some Honda workshops refuse to repair these Chinese motorcycles for business reasons.
Buying services
Good services can help increase sales volume and create customer loyalty.
Very often, good services drive customers to pay for a certain product even at a premium.
Because such customers do not mind high prices as long as they are satisfied with the service, some sellers set prices arbitrarily.
Bob Sadino, the owner of Kem Chicks supermarket in Kemang, South Jakarta, for example, sets the price of kangkung (a leafy vegetable grown in water) 10 times higher than that in traditional markets because he offers quality products in a convenient, spacious shop.
Coca Cola is sold at about Rp 1,000 a bottle by street vendors, but it may cost Rp 20,000 in an exclusive cafe. Customers at Bob's supermarket and the cafe are not merely paying for the products, but also the service.
Companies will not be able to charge high prices for products which are available in other places which also offer similar services. High prices can only be charged by companies offering excellent services.
Another example of a company offering excellent service is McDonald's. Among the fast food companies in the world, McDonald's is growing most rapidly because it is offering the best service to customers.
The company, for example, offers a one-minute serving time to its customers, proven by the sand clocks on its counters.
You may argue that there are other restaurants offering nicer hamburgers than McDonald's, but the latter's standardized service seems to be the key to its marketing success.
Tens of Sederhana's West Sumatra-styled fast food restaurants in Jakarta are trying to standardize their service and yet there are differences in their service at different outlets.
McDonald, with tens of years of experience, offers better standardized service than most restaurants in Indonesia because it provides special training for its employees and implements strict procedures.
Thus, high standards of service are very important for customer satisfaction.
If a customer is not satisfied with our service, he/she may switch products or services and may communicate his/her disappointment to others through the mass media.
Big companies usually try to employ standardized services so that their customers will enjoy good services at any of their branches.
Banks ought to have standardized service at all their branches.
Customers of a bank in Jakarta, for example, may protest if they do not receive similar service from the bank's branches in other towns.
It is, therefore, understandable that businesses like Bakmi Gadjah Mada, a noodles restaurant, do not want to open branches or offer franchises because they are not ready to offer a standardized service.
Such businesses are still generally operated by their owners themselves, who directly serve their customers wholeheartedly.
The earnest service of business owners can be enjoyed particularly in computer shops in Glodok, Mangga Dua and Gajah Mada Plaza.
Generally you are more satisfied when served by the owners, who want their businesses to grow, and not by their employees, who feel they can move to other companies if they are not satisfied with their current bosses.