Customer Service in Athens Greece
Customer service is important in any organization, industry or firm. It ensures that satisfactory services are provided to the customer or clients during and after they have purchased goods or services. Customer service ensures that there is customer retention which by and large determines the sustainability of an organization. A good customer service will involve more that smiling at the customer as there will be need to establish and meet the needs and expectations of the customer. This paper will focus on how the issue of customer service is dealt with in Athens, Greece.
Athens is the capital city of Greece and it prides itself in a strong or solid culture that is characterized by the Greek language and orthodox Christianity. It is a very vibrant city in as far as Greece economic, cultural as well as the political aspects is concerned. Many people live in Athens compared to the overall population. (www. cs. phs. uoa. gr). In Athens, the service sector is the most significant and it comprises of the banking, government administration, transportation as well as health care.
The role the tourism industry cannot be underestimated as it contributes to the economy of Athens. It attributes its success to the presence of monuments, museums and international events for instance the 2004 Olympic Games. Excellent customer service is a plus to the performance of tourism. (www. athenscity. gr). The airline industry is also critical in ensuring the effectiveness of the tourism industry. Good customer service in any industry will keep the customers flowing and this translates to higher revenues and consequently higher profits.
In this regard the Athens International Airport for instance ensures that customers or clients needs are well addressed. It sought the intervention of the Erickson Company that enabled it to increase its mobility levels. It ensured that it had established high standards of customer satisfaction with the proper communication system. It was also able to improve its efficiency and flexibility not only to its employees but also to the customers. (Erickson, 2007).
Shipping is also an important industry in Athens and to ensure that it flourishes it will be vital that an excellent customer service is maintained. Companies in this industry like Velos Hellas are aware of how important the customer service and have adapted a culture where they are committed to offer a high standard, quality and reliable services that will meet the customers needs. They are also concerned with providing affordable rates in a timely manner. (www. veloshellas. gr).
The car and rental companies facilitate the flow or rather movement of people from one region to the next. These companies have a great contribution in ensuring that the tourism industry is flowing successfully. As the ACE Rent A Car Agency which comprises of more than a hundred car rental agency points out these agencies have a passion for customer service. (Agency Profile, 2008). ACE has been operational for over 23 years and this proves that foe many years the car rental companies aim at ensuring that the customer needs are met.
An excellent customer service in this business will ensure that it serves a higher number of clients who include government officials, tourists as well as corporate clients. Offering distinguished services will place any company at a competitive edge as with the intense competition in almost all industries prices are regulated and there is need to consider other issues to increase the companies’ attractiveness. (Agency Profile, 2008). To ensure an excellent customer service it is important to offer personalized services.
Identifying the customer needs and expectations is important as it will enable the relevant companies address them amicably. The banking sector in Athens is also very competitive and most banks have to ensure an excellent customer service. Some of the tactics applied can be through the introduction of the queuing method where service is based on a first come first served basis. This approach will ensure that there orderliness and it also reduces consumer complaints. To establish the actual needs of the customers it is appropriate to carryout an intensive research.
The role of the new media in enhancing the customer service in Athens is very significant. Through the Internet the provision of quick responses to customers’ queries is done efficiently. The banking industry has introduced the Internet banking which not only enhances its daily operations but makes it more profitable for the banks. As Vadlamani in the book ‘Advances in Banking Technology and Management: Impacts of ICT and CRM, points out with the current global competition the banking system has been forced to become more supple and customer focused.
The development of information and communication technology (ICT) has made a great impact in the business world as a whole especially on its role in enhancing customer service. The customer service in most organizations in Athens can be said to be effective and this is attributed to the fact that with the increasing competition there is need to adopt other means of attracting and retaining customers. An excellent customer service ensures that the organizations revenues are high as customers keep flowing in.
Ensuring that employees are satisfied is an important way of ensuring that they work towards enhancing the customers or clients satisfaction. References: Athenscity. gr. 2008. About Athens Retrieved on 25th July 2008 from http://www. athenscity. gr/. Vadlamani Ravi. 2007. Advances in Banking Technology and Management: Impacts of ICT and CRM. Idea Group Inc (IGI) Erickson. Customer success story: Athens International Airport Greece: Athens International Airport to build the foundation of continuous and future success.
Retrieved on 25th July 2008 from http://archive. ericsson. net/service/internet/picov/get? DocNo=21331-EN/LZT1023932&Lang=EN&Rev=A Velos Hellas. 2007. Our services know no borders. Retrieved on 25th July 2008 from http://www. veloshellas. gr/services. html. Agency Profile. 2008. Ace Rent A Car Athens. Retrieved on 25th July 2008 from http://www. carrentalexpress. com/rez/ace-rent-a-car-athens/profile/ Greece. Retrieved on 25th July 2008 from http://www. cs. phs. uoa. gr/delphi2004/travel-information-greece. html.
