Glossary of Terms

The A-Z of customer service.
 
Many words we use regularly in a customer service context also have a more general meaning. This can lead to confusion, so we’ve put together a glossary of customer service terms. We’ve been as precise as possible so that we’ll hopefully all be ‘speaking the same language’. You’ll find each term listed by its first letter.

You may prefer to download the ICS Glossary of Terms document.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Added Value

Added Value is the extra, over and above the basic product or service offer that an organisation makes to its customers.  This added value represents extra benefits that can truly delight the customers and keep them loyal.

For example; ‘buy one get one free’ is an added value offer.  It goes beyond the service offer and surprises and delights the customer.  Lower prices may be the ‘service offer’ but then a 50% reduction on price will give the shopper added value.Similarly a sudden ‘free upgrade’ in a hotel room or on an aeroplane would stay in a customer’s memory and encourage return business.

Behaviour

The way that you do things.
You do things in a particular way because of
• how you feel
• what you want
• how other people treat you.

In any customer service transaction, the behaviour of the customer and the behaviour of the service deliverer is affected by the way they treat each other. Behaviour therefore affects the quality of the customer experience because the way the service deliverer behaves affects the way the customer feels about the customer service

Body Language

We communicate using words but they don’t usually tell the whole story. Body language is a collection of expressions on our face and gestures we make. Very often body language tells us more about what somebody is actually thinking than the words they use.

When you are dealing with a customer you can learn a lot about what he or she is thinking from the body language. This also means that you need to be aware of the messages you are giving to the customer through your own expressions and gestures – your own body language.

Code of Practice

Many trade associations and professional bodies have a Code of Practice that guides members on how they should conduct their business.

Most Codes of Practice include guidance on how to deal with customers.  In particular they usually cover how members should deal with complaints and customer problems.

Codes of Practice do not have the same kind of authority as regulation and legislation.  However, if a member always ignores a Code of Practice, the association or professional body may make it very difficult for that member to continue in business.

Comparable organisation

Some organisations don’t have competitors in the normal commercial sense of the word.  Government organisations like the Inland Revenue and the Police are good examples.

But if a customer of one of those organisations is trying to rate its customer service he or she will probably compare it with an organisation that seems to be similar in what it does or how it is run.

So an Inland Revenue customer may compare their service with the service they receive from a National Insurance office and a customer of the police may compare their customer service with that provided by the fire service or the ambulance service.

Competitive advantage

Although a competitor is an organisation that offers products or services that are similar to those offered by your organisation. Your organisation may have the competitive advantage because it is:

-  part of a large high street chain
-  better placed in the high street· has car parking outside
-  a global organisation which can offer goods and services at much cheaper prices.

We have witnessed the demise of the small butcher and greengrocer owing to the growth in high street supermakets where the smaller organisation could not compete with larger stock levels, lower prices or longer opening times.

Competitor

Most organisations are not the only ones that provide particular products or services.  Most customers can choose to use the products or services of another organisation rather than yours.

So a competitor is an organisation that offers products or services that are similar to those offered by your organisation. Your customer may choose to use these other organisations instead of your own.

Complaint

When a customer feels strongly enough that his or her customer expectations have not been met, he or she may make a complaint.  

A complaint is when a cus