BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR

In today’s world Brand Building is incomplete without proper customer service which leads to positive Brand Experience. Companies are busy advertising and spending crores of rupees, but are not giving sufficient attention to the important factor of customer service. In my opinion only a few companies give proactive customer service, that is they ‘Peg a Service’. In many other cases, companies are indifferent to customer service and their customers have to ‘Beg a Service’, that is, they have to constantly remind and ask the company to serve them, literally begging the company.

Recently in one case, a customer had to constantly remind the marketing company to give a receipt of the purchases made.

In another case, a consumer durable company’s ‘Care’ center, did not give service even after 27 reminders. The customer renamed that company’s ‘Care’ center as ‘Scare’ center because he had to beg again and again for the service that he was rightfully entitled to.

In yet another case, a travel agent and the airline had to be constantly reminded to redeem the privilege card free tickets the customer was entitled to.

Sometimes, small things like putting a name plate or a garage painting of the owner’s number of the flat is overlooked causing immense anxiety and anguish to the buyer. It may be a small thing for the builder, but a very big thing for the customer.

It is important that companies must ‘Peg a Service’ and not make the customers ‘Beg a Service’. If the customer has to constantly remind the company and plead and beg and re-remind, it reflects very badly on the company’s brand building policy. It shows that, the company does not ‘BrandServe’ and is not a customer friendly company. This would lead to the customers being dissatisfied and the company would lose customers and finally sales and profits.

It is important for Brand Managers and Marketing Managers to understand that customer service is as important as advertising or product quality. Infact, improving service quality actually enhances the Brand Experience to the customers and improves the ‘word of mouth’ communication, which leads to growth of the Brand’s business.

The Brand Managers and Marketing Managers of today should be sensitive about the needs of their customers. Today’s customers are a world class customers who want World Class Customer Service and Brand Experience. They do not want to be treated badly and expect full product quality and service quality.

Therefore, it is very important to note that along with a good product, reasonable price, widespread availability and interesting communication, there must be world class service offered, so that the company is able to ‘Peg a Service’ and not make the customer ‘Beg a Service’ – afterall the customer must not be treated like a Beggar but must be treated like a King!

The author is Brand Guru Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 022 28597700/7701 Fax: 28597699 E-mail: jkapoor@samsika.com

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