Have you ever called a customer service number for a company and had to go through multiple numbers before you could actually talk to someone? It’s both frustrating and maddening. By the time you get to talk to someone, you’re usually so mad you can’t make sense anyway and nothing gets resolved. Well, what is the definition of customer service?

It just so happens to be a company or organization’s obligation to meet or exceed the customer’s needs or wants. I’m not sure how that can be accomplished by making the customer angry and frustrated. Most businesses have an 800 number to call for complaints or questions. So, when you reach that number you expect to be able to ask someone your question or state your complaint with the expectation that it will be followed up on.

Coming and going is the name of the game. You get them to come in and give them great service and then you send them out happy and wanting to come back. So, you make them happy and satisfied both coming and going. You also want them to give you a good recommendation to their family and friends. Anyone can sell someone something once but without great customer skills, they won’t sell them anything else.

So, how do you find good customer service? Well, of course one way is to ask your friends and family for tips on who they do business with and what their experiences have been. Another is to have done business with them yourself and have built a relationship with them. This will tell you how you will be treated when you need their service. When you are considering doing business with someone, call them and ask a question. If they answer the phone right away and are polite and helpful, then they probably will have good customer service.

What about customer service units? These are companies that are hired to answer the phones for businesses and give assistance to the caller. Sometimes they are not equipped to handle a particular problem but they can direct you to someone who can or give you some assurance that someone who can assist you will call you back.

The benefit of hiring a customer service call center is that most businesses can’t afford to hire staff to answer the phones 24/7. The call center will take calls, field them to the proper place or they may be trained to give you what you require then and there. These call centers can also be customer interaction centers. Customers can call them, fax them, chat online, email or even instant message them, making the business you’re seeking help from available whenever you need them.

Some call centers have a multi-tier support system. This is good quality assurance for the company who hires that type of call center. The first tier consists of operators who direct calls to the proper department and handle general questions. If the caller requires more assistance than the first tier operators can give, the call is transferred to the second tier. And if the caller requires still more assistance, the third tier is usually made up of skilled technicians that are specially trained.

The bottom line in customer service is to treat your customers as you would like to be treated.