What is "customer service"

alt. 1 The act of providing services to customers before, during and after a purchase. 2 A department that provides services to past customers. n. 1 The act of providing services to customers before, during and after a purchase. 2 A department that provides services to past customers.

Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization, or may proactively interview customers for feedback.

From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.

Customer (Dis)Service is a documentary that premiered on January 5, 2012 at 9PM Eastern Time on CNBC. The documentary is about outsourcing and call centers and how customers are using social media to fight back against bad customer service, such as musician Dave Carroll and his bad experience with United Airlines (after they broke his guitar and he posted a music video about it on YouTube). The documentary also features Ben Popken, a journalist and former (as of November 2011) Managing Editor of The Consumerist (a consumer affairs blog). The show was originally shot for CBC Television.