The Importance of Empowerment in Customer Service Management

The purpose of business entities’ existence is maximizing profits. In general, businesses produce goods and sell them to customers. The relationship between the company and its customers makes a business entity a destiny for many other customers and even the old ones keep coming back. The only way for a business entity to maintain good customer relationship is to have empowered employees. This paper dwells on the importance of having the employees empowered for customer service management.

When the employees are empowered, they tend to develop a sense of independence. Employees will feel free to do anything that they consider appropriate. The employees will not need to ask their seniors about how to communicate with the customers and they will not be restricted to a particular norm or culture of treating them. Rather, they will be able to work with them in the best way they see fit, since they enjoy freedom at the workplace. The employees will be self-motivated to do their job. The employees will be self-motivated to work with their customers professionally and even take the time to listen to them (Blanchard K. & Carlos J, 2001, 27). These factors translate to employees’ loyalty. The employees will feel that by giving their customers the best service, the organization will succeed, and that will be their success as well. Therefore, employee motivation improves self-motivation and independence that translates to loyalty.

Without effective communication no business entity can thrive or even survive. In this case, effective communication between the customers and employees must be improved in order to ensure that customers are loyal to the company. One of the ways to enhance this type of business communication is empowering the employees. Empowered employees improve their satisfaction of the job and raise their levels of confidence. As a result, they tend to have a sense of ownership for the business that translates to improved communication (Cook S, 2008, 48). Employees will keenly listen to the customers and address their needs without delay. The employees will also use pleasant language when talking to the customers thus making the business a preference to the customers, which gives a competitive edge.

Empowering employees to customer service management improves productivity of any business along three aspects. The first aspect is that customers have a lot of information that is crucial for business growth, for example, customers hold information such as their preferences, what tastes they prefer and much more. The only way for a business to obtain this valuable information from the customers would be by relating with them well (Gilbert G. & Nelson A, 1991, 41). When the customers feel that they are valuable for a company – which will only happen if they are handled well by the employees – then they will be able to open up and share this information. Therefore, when employees are empowered, they will handle their customers better, and the customers will provide the necessary information for its growth, leading to improved productivity.

The second aspect is that empowering employees for customer service management will reduce costs that result from errors. When the relationship between the customers and the business is good, then there will be an understanding between the parties and a reduction of chances of misunderstandings which consume resources, such as legal battles or failed deliveries. As a result, a business will increase its productivity. A positive relationship will reduce the costs incurred either by errors or handling of goods and this will translate into improved productivity (Ketchum L. & Trist E, 1992, 67).

The third aspect is creation of a market for the company‘s goods. Empowered employees result in customers valuing the company not only for the goods that it provides, but also for the services that the employees give to the customers. The customers will enjoy how they are treated (Gilbert G. & Nelson A, 1991, 43). When customers feel that they are cared for, when they see the service that the company provides them with – both of which result from empowered employees – they will increase their involvement with the company. As a result, the company will register more profits.

Customer loyalty is an important aspect of business growth. The only way achieve loyal customers is empower the employees to do their job. Once the customers feel that they receive what they expect from an organization, they will tend to remain loyal to the company. The secret of retaining as many customers as possible is not in offering extraordinary products but in providing excellent customer service (Cook S, 2008, 51). When employees are empowered, they feel that the customers are an important component of the business, and they treat them as their best friends. At that point, employees will be free to do what they consider fit if they believe that it is the right thing to do for the customer. As a result, many customers will remain loyal to the company, and the company will have a competitive edge over its competitors.

One of the greatest aspect that empowering employees does in business is giving them a right to make a decision (Ketchum L. & Trist E, 1992, 71). When employees are empowered, the company will not put barriers between individuals. Employees will not view their seniors as critical people who are more skilled and valuable than they are. In that aspect, employees will be able to make their decisions, and the seniors will honor those decisions. The scenarios where the seniors sit very high up the company structure and they are the only decision makers in a company will thus be eliminated. As a result, employees will be able to decide how to treat a customer with intent that the customer will feel satisfied. They will choose the wordings to address a customer. Eventually, empowered employees will not anymore require supervisors for working with the customers. In making their decisions, the employees will be able to make a judgment on their own (Blanchard K. & Carlos J, 2001, 31).