Globalization has brought the world together in many ways, and from a business perspective, it has created a global village for both consumers and producers. Companies from all parts of the world compete with each other to get the attention of consumers, making competition intense among corporations today.

Every company is looking to create strategies that will differentiate it from that of its competitors. Some of the popular differentiators include price, quality of product and customer service. Out of these differentiators, it is customer service that has the biggest impact because it puts the focus right on the customer and the need to service his or her demands. This is why more companies are spending time and resources on providing excellent customer service to gain a competitive advantage through it.

Despite this focus on customer service, not all companies are getting it right as is evident from the many frustrated customers who have had bad experience with call center agents. These poor results are because companies themselves do not understand the core components of customer service, which include consistency, commitment, training and buy-in, according to Barry Himmel of Rental Management.

Consistency is ensuring that all points of contact are in unison with each other, whether it is the ordering process, delivery or after-sales support while commitment is providing quality customer service every single time. Training component revolves around training employees and empowering them with the right tools to ensure that they can provide exemplary service to customers. Lastly, buy-in is the understanding that the entire team has about the potential benefits of providing top-quality customer service.

When these four components are integrated into every customer service channel and experience, it is sure to give companies a big competitive edge over other companies operating in the same segment.