Recent dynamics in the global competitive markets delineate customers as the most significant asset a company is in possession of (Sahaf, Qureshi & Khan, 2011). Further, as observed by economists, greatest success feats within the market often rely on the customer’s perception towards products and services offered by various enterprises and the people who promote these services. As such, each company seeks to come up with a market capable of providing customers customized needs and meeting their expectations better than other competitors do; commensurately, creating and sustaining customer loyalty. At the core of company operations, companies invest immensely to ensure their customers are happy. To make this transpire, enterprises use adequate, relevant, and timely information concerning different consumer aspects. In an increasingly dynamic technological world, companies continually employ the use of current technologies to form structures and management systems that provide adequate customer relation. As a widely accepted concept within the business world, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is at the core of customer service. In essence, CRM is fundamentally dedicated to the provision of successful customer service implementation through building relationships using technological incorporation and relationship-marketing studies. Overall, in delivering impeccable customer service, both science and art are employed. This paper discusses customer service as an art and a science, carefully basing it on Kolb’s four processes.
Burrus (2017) notes that there is an aspect of science and an art to each profession. He further explains that the scientific aspects of most professions are teachable while the art segment is what delineates individual competencies within professions that require ample customer service. Consider an example whereby a group of photographers has the latest equipment in terms of cameras, tripods, lenses, among others, and know the science of photography to the detail. While engaging with such a group, the expectation is that they are equally good at taking photographs. On the other hand, an inability in them of taking stunning shots indicates the art aspect of the profession of photography. In addition, while they may know the intricacies of a camera and its peripherals, the provision of exemplary service and amazing photos amalgamates the science into art, which brings forth a successful combination. Presently, the reality of art and science in all professions leads to several questions and milestones needed particularly in the customer service industry. Such concerns include continual learning and maximization of the science side of every profession, an uptake of significant classes, self-updates and self-upgrades, and the acquisition of a training program with new capabilities and tools (Burrus, 2017). As such, being in any profession requires constant learning as a process that helps individuals understand their profession more intimately and passionately.
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Kolb’s experiential learning theory explores a holistic model attuned to germane learning processes and an adult development model, multi-linear in nature. Both models of the learning process and adult development are analogous to the experiences people go through concerning their growth, knowledge, and development. Furthers, Kolb’s theory possesses the phrase “experiential learning,” which shows the emphasis placed on experience as a learning curve in all professions. Therefore, experiential learning is highly divergent from learning strategies such as cognitive learning theories, which has a major emphasis on cognition over the results of experiences and behavioral learning theories, which refute subjectivity in the learning experience process. Within this theory, learning has the definition of being a process whereby knowledge transpires through the transformation and application of experience. Hence, experiential learning theories display two dialectical modes of obtaining relevant and applicable experience: abstract conceptualization (AC) and concrete experience (CE) (Akella, 2010). After the acquisition of experience, its transformation is due, which results in the models of Reflective Observation (RO) and Active Experimentation (AE). In reference to the four-stage learning cycle, both concrete and immediate experiences are primary bases for pertinent reflections and observations. Through careful reflection and assimilation, concepts within experiential learning undergo careful distillation to form new implications related to various professions such as customer service.
Kolb ascertains that learners often process and receive information within a continuum that starts from concrete experience to active experimentation. In the customer service industry, concrete experience often takes the form of science, in that, there is a need for precise knowledge in performing tasks and an added advantage in understanding the methodologies of performing a task. As such, the stage of concrete experience addresses various learning objectives from human experiences and situations to the personal involvement of individuals. In my case, concrete experience comes from personal involvements within the customer service industry. Such engrossments stem from my college years, to when I worked in the Exxon Group at the First Chicago Trust Company. The experience I have on customer service commenced as a leather goods salesperson. In this capacity, I worked for three years interacting with various clienteles particularly young adults who were into fashion at the time. Working as a sales representative augmented the learning curve of my knowledge in customer service due to a requirement of meeting pertinent quotas and the commensurate customer connections. During this time also, I interacted with numerous international customers. During the Christmas period in 1983, I also worked as a salesperson. While in college from 1982-1984, I worked as a bank teller, which significantly improved my experience in customer service. After this was when I joined Exxon Group and in 1990-1991, I was involved in the fielding of shareholder questions.
As Kolb’s learning process entails, within the customer service industry, the concrete experiences I went through personally resulted in numerous observations and reflections still presently germane. Currently, it is still an accepted norm for school students to be placed in secure jobs immediately after high school. While this practice is, in fact, beneficial, it effectively overshadows the knowledge that comes with ample experience in complex affairs, as seen in individuals who commence working on their careers as early as before college. It is evident that quite a number of various elements are needed in the creation of a successful business, the most significant being customer service ("4 Key Benefits of Customer Service Training Programs", 2013). In addition, it is practically true that virtually all interactions between a business entity and their customers or potentials often affects the bottom line of a company. Therefore, through my years under the banner of concrete experience, one pertinent observation in business is quite palpable, which is, the fact that customer service separates companies that tremendously thrive from those that despondently fail. Also, when it comes to customer services, retention or relations are more important than the acquisition of transactions ("4 Key Benefits of Customer Service Training Programs", 2013). It is quite true in most companies that offer customer service training that such edification not only adds value to customers but also drives sales exponentially high giving the company a strong competitive advantage.
Various observations and reflections have crossed my mind in regards to this profession being an art or a science. Inclining more towards the science, customer service relies heavily on technological implementations such as the Customer Relationship Management software alongside other infrastructural support systems both networked and offline. Being conversant with such systems and using them to further customer service agendas seamlessly reflects the science aspect of customer service. Therefore, since CRM aids the marketing representative assess customer value, it commensurately helps in the identification of customers considered valuable, and in whom relationship programs are effectively customized to meet both intensity and content terms. In essence the CRM aids in developing, creating, and enhancing customer relationships with careful studies and targeted customers, bringing about corporate profitability, a maximization of customer value, and ultimately, the augmentation of shareholder value. During the experience I had in the customer service industry, I noted that higher employee motivation and engagement increased as my experience amassed. It is clear that training given to employees in customer services by organizations ultimately makes them more productive and motivated. While this is the case, experience also does the same work as training, and while an employee may feel unproductive on the outset, as time goes by, and the gain of experiences takes place, more engagement and motivation emerge simultaneously.
Nadeak (2015), in her journal article on the Correlation between Knowledge, Experience, and Common Sense, with Critical Thinking Capability states that experience is directly proportional to capabilities in critical thinking within the management strata of an enterprise (Nadeak, 2015). This observation is analogous to business organization and success. While experiences in customer services amount and an organization is able to comprehensively understand its clientele bases, its organization morphs into an efficient structure that minimizes loss and maximizes client satisfaction and returns. Moreover, the company also experiences enhanced customer service skills due to an increase in the capability of critical thinking and analysis. Overall, experience tremendously amplifies special skill-sets used in businesses such as communication, organization, listening, and problem-solving skills. Through the aforementioned results, what worked resulted in increased customer satisfaction, improved customer service, and augmented customer loyalty; commensurately, resulting in overall increased profits. However, while experience creates great sustainability professionally, various disadvantages plague this learning methodology. Due to my extensive experience in customer service and in divergent sectors of the service industry, challenges such as tougher salary negotiations, lesser career options, and the pressure of handling expectations among others increases.
Kolb’s learning process entails Abstract Conceptualizations (AC), which are primarily logical conclusions draws from the reflection and observation phases. From experiences in customer service, various logical inferences are extrapolated. The foremost logical conclusion from the analysis of the observations and reflections is the role of Customer Relationship Management in the provision and sustainability of customer services. As mentioned above, CRMs primary aim is to develop, create, and enhance relationships among targeted clienteles to bring about customer value, and ultimately, corporate profitability. In its basic sense, CRM applies to one-to-one marketing with an attempt to develop a symbiotic relationship through focusing on customers and managing the value processes between the customers and the firm. On the other hand, while it is a well-established fact that the idea of forming better relationships with customers has been around for quite some time now, the incorporation of current dynamic technologies such as information technology, the internet, and telecommunication makes the concept of CRM effectively emerge as a discipline (Sahaf, Qureshi & Khan, 2011). Moreover, in the business world presently, CRM aids in numerous facets particularly those applying to pertinent decision making. Therefore, it is inherently logical that through the implementation of such systems within business operations, especially in sales and marketing, other advantages that come with extensive experience in customer services are augmented exponentially over time.
As mentioned above, the first observation relating to companies that fail and those that succeed is that customer service plays a significant role. Oluseye et al. (2015) note that for a company to receive complete loyalty, their products must not only be of quality, but they must also satisfy the client completely. This interpretation makes loyalty, quality, and satisfaction significant factors in determining the effectiveness of customer service models within organizations. While there is effective customer service, product retention is guaranteed, which in turn results in more profitability and progress within the company. This theory makes customer service management highly influential in company success as detailed in the observations of concrete experiences. In the current competitive environment, the perception exemplified by CRM continues to affect roles related to the improvement, management, development, and retention of customers’ loyalty, strategically. Oluseye et al. (2015) conclude that the findings of their study establish the view that efficient and targeted customer service results in the retention of particular products or services due to variables such as satisfaction and loyalty among others. Further, the research affirms that questionnaire results project similar conjectures with minimal errors. Presently, numerous organizations are shifting from the acquisition of new customers to the capture and retention of current ones.
While enterprises employ the use of CRM, they manage the “relationship” between the customers and them through expert manipulations of pertinent information concerning the customers. Such information normally undergoes a transformation into knowledge once shared among company process managers. In turn, this knowledge obtained enables the enterprise to comprehend pertinent customer trends, which have an effect on overall company performance. On the other hand, information shared enables organizations to enhance the quality delivery to their customers. Therefore, as an essential observation, true CRM software established by the beginning of the 1990s has enabled immense transformations within the customer service industry and continue to act as a pillar in ensuring customer loyalty and retention, among others. While this is the case, organizations whose administration is in question may implement a CRM package effectively without proper process integrations and organizational structures, which results in goals not being met effectively. As such, CRM is intrinsically reliable; its cross-functional process design maintains regulated interactions with customers through their contacts and access points largely portending the bespoke management of targeted customers following the objective of retaining them within the company (Sahaf, Qureshi & Khan, 2011).
Experience brings about an increase in motivation and work engagement. It is clear that while one gains an intimate understanding of a profession, their enthusiasm in a learned skill set increases, and as such, individuals want to learn more and have a clear understanding of the professional workings of their jobs. A study conducted in 2007 by Howard Kahn and Ivan T. Robertson on the effects of training and experience as predictors of work motivation and overall job satisfaction indicates that the kind of training individuals have coupled with previous experience results in more job satisfaction and internal motivation to continue doing a near perfect job. While this study is based on a sample of computer users, its implications can be utilized within the customer service industry effectively. Furthermore, motivation and work engagement form the art aspect of customer service. Ample engagement with a motivated employee often results in customer retention, which is a positive add-on to overall company performance.
As part of a logical conclusion, experience combined with knowledge results in the capability of critical thinking, which is highly significant when it comes to the customer service industry. While systems such as the CRM are in place to govern decisions through modules such as the Decision Support Systems (DSS), experience distinguishes individuals who can make educated inputs to the system for it to make apposite decisions. Nadeak (2015) notes that in the current information and technology era, critical thinking remains a highly valued skill that should be present in all individuals. However, the current emphasis focusing on the obtaining of a job experience cultures critical thinking becomes invalid. Nadeak further explains that individuals with good critical thinking capabilities are often supported by various factors such as knowledge, experience, and common sense. Through experience, the development of critical thinking amplifies special skill-sets used in businesses such as communication, organization, listening, and problem-solving skills, which in turn leads to proper customer service and other additional benefits to a company. It is clear that to incorporate systems such as CRM, realize the potential of success within an enterprise, and realize proper employee engagement among others; critical thinking is an important aspect, which only develops and matures with experience.
Kolb’s fourth learning step represents the Active Experimentation (AE) phase. This phase comprises of the testing of new concepts obtained under new circumstances. From the experiences gathered in my time in the customer service industry, various concepts are quite applicable in the industry currently. Exemplary service times enabled me to see and analyze trends within the industry and isolate those related to customer service experiences as understood in a scientific way or otherwise. As mentioned above in the observations, the numerous snippets of knowledge acquired over time not only enabled me to become a successful individual within the service industry but also helped in understanding future trends and industry pathways. First, CRM has implications that are both in the present and in the future. With ample advancements in technology and their undeniable exponential growth rate, future CRMs will be highly advanced and complex integrating presently emerging market dynamics and consumerism. In turn, due to this tremendous growth and high changeability, CRMs are here to stay and always represent an effective form of testing acquired knowledge, leading to new Concrete Experiences (CE). Second, having ample experience in the customer service industry aided me in understanding the advantages of effective customer service and its implications on overall company performance. Understanding this brings about the need of efficient customer service implementation as it affects overall company performance.
Ultimately, observations on critical thinking and overall employee engagement and motivations are highly influenced by experience within the customer service industry. Moreover, they majorly represent the art aspect of the industry, particularly, employee engagement and motivation. These two aspects majorly involve feelings, and as such, cannot be quantified and tested to reveal concrete answers, which makes their analysis and the determination of their influence over customer service provision an art. Presently, the consumer service industry relies significantly on experience as an important factor in determining engagement and motivation among employees. As stated in the study above, motivation and engagement primarily come from knowledge, which comes from experience and common sense. As such, both present and future trends within the industry rely on experience to build up dedicated workforces continually focused on company goals and objectives.
Whether customer service is a dedicated art or science is uncertain. However, scholars unanimously agree that this phenomenon is both an art and a science blended intricately within its complex structures. As s science, customer service integrates the use of technological advances in both networking and computing to establish automation systems that require prior knowledge before using them. As an art, customer service requires the seamless and fluid ability to form and maintain customer relationships, which entails constant engagement of customers by a highly motivated employee resulting in an experience worth remembering. Combining the science and art creates efficiency and stability within customer relations, further resulting in customer loyalty, customer satisfaction, and overall company profitability.
References
Akella, D. (2010). Learning together: Kolb's experiential theory and its application. Journal Of Management & Organization, 16 (1), 100-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.5172/jmo.16.1.100
Burrus, D. (2017). There Is a Science and an Art to Every Profession . HuffPost . Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-burrus/there-is-a-science-and-an_b_2535180.html
4 Key Benefits of Customer Service Training Programs . (2013). Explorance.com . Retrieved 9 April 2018, from https://explorance.com/2013/09/4-key-benefits-customer-service-training-programs/
Nadeak, B. (2015). Correlation between Knowledge, Experience and Common Sense,with Critical Thinking Capability of Medical Faculty’s Students at Indonesia Christian University. Journal Of Education And Practice , 6 (32), 45-55.
Oluseye, O., Odunayo, S., Adeniyi, S., & Borishade, T. (2014). EVALUATION OF CUSTOMER SERVICE AND RETENTION; A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICE PROVIDERS. European Journal Of Business And Social Sciences , 3 (8), 273-288.
Sahaf, M., Qureshi, H., & Khan, R. (2011). The science and art of customer relationship management: A blend of business processes and technology solutions. African Journal Of Business Management , 5 (13), 5057-5064.
