CUSTOMER SERVICE IN LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT
(Special Case During Covid-19 Pandemic)
INTRODUCTION
Customer service is the way logistics interfaces with marketing and as such represents the output of the firm’s entire logistics effort. The concept of customer service arrives when a customer demands any product and he demands when he feels the need of it.
Customer Service is a process that provides value added benefits to the supply chain in a cost-effective manner. Customer service is a big challenge in today’s life and it literally means bringing customers back. The role of customer service is to provide time and place utility in the transfer of goods and services between buyer and seller. In this pandemic time, it is very difficult to provide goods and services to the customers when there is no production. The goods are transported through the supply chain to customers so that the time and place utility can be used properly. There is no value in the products and services until it is in the hands of the consumer. The most important thing is that the consumer should like the product which is available to him because the customer/consumer is the king of the market. If a person likes any product then he will promote our product by referring that product to others as well, simultaneously if a person does not like the product and get the product when another product has fulfilled his need then he will spread his negative reviews about that product in the market.
Main Phases of Customer Service:
- Companies are trying to acquire new customers by promoting their products in the market.
- Companies are providing their products which were earlier stored in their warehouses.
- Companies are trying to meet their customer requirement by providing goods to their footsteps.
- Companies enhance the relationship between them and their customers so that their existing customers may get benefit from it.
- Through customer service companies are trying to retain their profitable customers for life.
- Through customer service, companies are able to build close cooperation and partnering relationships with their customers.
- It involves the integration of marketing, sales, customer service, and the supply chain functions of the organization to achieve greater efficiencies and effectiveness in delivering customer value.
7R’s of Customer Service:
- The Customer should get the right product whatever he has been demanded. If the customer has ordered some grocery then he/she must get that particular grocery.
- The right product must be delivered to the right customer instead of any other person.
- The customer should get the product at the right time which means the time that company said delivery would take place. But it is very difficult for them to deliver in such pandemic time so the company should take proper time.
- The customer should get the product at the right place so that the satisfaction level of customers could be maintained.
- The company should deliver the product in the right condition which means the product should be in the right position free from any kind of damage.
- The company should provide the product at the right cost to the customers; they shouldn’t think to get the benefit from any such pandemic.
- The company should provide the product in the right quantity so that the need of customers can be fulfilled in an effective and efficient manner.
Conclusion:
It’s important for a logistics company to know the market, so the company can provide the correct level of convenience to customers. This enables the logistics manager to recognize customer service requirements and to attempt to fulfill those demands. In such a situation by segmenting the market, the logistics company can easily determine which customers will be most profitable, thus showing the company which customers should receive a higher level of convenience. Thus, there is a need to cooperate with each other so that customer needs can be managed/maintained.
Ref: https://bit.ly/3otpg1r
