Situation: A CEO and his team have been having a debate about the difference between customer service and customer satisfaction. How do others work with their teams to improve both customer service and customer satisfaction? Is there a difference between the two and, if so, what is it?

Advice from the CEOs:

• Customer service has to be clearly defined.
  • The objective of customer service is for the customer to have a positive experience.
  • Customer service is addressing the needs and concerns of your customers in a timely fashion to create a competitive advantage and higher perceived value for a company’s products or services.
  • Customer service is a process that can be taught and trained.
• Customer satisfaction has to be measurable.
  • Customer satisfaction is listening to what the customer has to say, addressing their issues, and providing a resolution that meets their needs and expectations.
  • It is a measure of comfort, confidence and trust.
  • There is a difference between being proactive and being reactive – work with each to assure that the customer is pleased with their experience, product and/or service.
  • To test this, record and analyze responses to the question “How did we serve you?”

[like]