ABSTRACT
Customer service can be the most valuable marketing weapon for a number of reasons. Customer service plays a role in acquiring new customers, in retaining existing loyalty, and supports taking market share from competitors. Good customer service is most valuable considering that, at a minimum, it costs businesses five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to satisfy and retain an existing customer. A dissatisfied customer will sometimes tell more than ten other consumers/prospects about their unsatisfactory experience. 1 So, having a customer service strategy and plan are very important in deploying this valuable marketing weapon. Some companies fail to recognize customer service as a marketing weapon and underfund the function, or staff it with the lowest-paid (and sometimes least-trained) employees.
