Collaboration is a concept that needs to be given importance in any field, including organizations. Often, an organization structure lays out the way the firm is divided into different departments. Each department seems to be a separate entity from the other departments, since there is the head of department, or manager, and the various subordinates right underneath him/her.
However, the fact that each department is viewed separately is not healthy for an organization at all. After all, all these departments form a small part of the larger firm, and they just cannot work in isolation. If one department is not aware of what the other departments are doing, or what the overall organizational goals are, then mayhem will result.
Therefore, it is crucial that even though an organization gets structured in a number of departments, such departments need to collaborate with one another so as to reach the firm's goals together. Communication therefore, needs to be encouraged and cross-departmental issues need to be seen to in an efficient manner. Bureaucracy needs to be lessened, and measures need to be taken to improve the level of participation that employees of different departments have with each other.
Just imagine, having several customers complaining that the product that they bought was not up to standard. They were not impressed with its quality, and so several unsatisfied customers called the firm's customer care department so as to show their frustration about the matter. If the production department is not involved in this, then chances are that the next batch of products will retain the same low quality, leading to many more unsatisfied customers.
Thus, there needs to be communication between the customer service department and the production department, so as to try and resolve this issue as best as possible. Customers will need to be given credit for their complaints, and if they see that the firm is truly working on improving the products, they will feel valued and may consider buying the product again. Negative word of mouth and its repercussions would also be dealt with in such a way.This strategy needs to be included in the firm's mission of continually improving customer service. Although all firms regard customers as vital for their firm's sustenance, not all of them manage to give proper attention to the customer service they offer. Some think that if there is a customer service department, then the whole issue is resolved. Customers will be seen to by the staff in this department, and their issues will be resolved over there.However, this is a common mistake that some companies make. This is what often leads to the closure of many firms. The key issue here is that customer service is everybody's job. Each and every employee of the firm needs to shoulder the responsibility of dealing properly with the firm's customers.
A more efficient way for the company to handle customer service is to adopt self-service. This can help deal with a lot of the smaller issues that cause a lot of the noise within a call center. Give customers options to self-task, using tools like WalkMe. WalkMe, also known as the “GPS of the Web” will guide users through the smaller issues like, “how do I change my password”, and make sure customer service is still the center of the business.
Whether the company cares about customer service or not, isn’t the issue. You need to make sure it works either way. Its vital to the business and you have to show people why it makes for success.
My bio is: Stefanie Amini is the Marketing Director and Specialist in Customer Success at WalkMe, the world's first interactive online guidance system. She is chief writer and editor of I Want It Now, a blog for Customer Service Experts. Follow her @StefWalkMe