Client Services Managers

Whether you need help today with a computer problem, an order, a problem on your credit card, or information about your insurance, you can in most cases simply call an 800 number and speak to a client services or customer service representative to help you. Although the client services and customer services industry today focuses a great deal on interactions with customers on telephones and the Internet, that was not always the case.

Customer service and client services have existed for as long as people bought products and services. Before the telephone, however, it was not all that easy to make a complaint. In the early days, people might write a letter or they might travel to a store in person to complain to a shopkeeper. When Alexander Graham-Bell invented the telephone, everything soon changed. Once phones became commonplace, people could call businesses to complain instantaneously about a product or service. Customer relations had turned a page and changed forever.

As more companies realized the importance of customer relations, they opened help desk call centers. This marked the beginning of specific customer care departments which dealt exclusively with complaints, questions, and other customer concerns. As time went on, the Internet became the main tool for dealing with customer issues. Live chats with customer care reps, e-mail, and Web support became the norm. The Internet also allowed businesses and customers to track shipments and services and publicly rate and review a company's performance online.

No matter how a business handles customer care, there is always a person on the other end of the phone or computer. Technology allows customers to bring an issue to a company’s attention instantly, and the company, in turn, to help resolve customer and client issues—creating a greater chance for customer satisfaction. This greater degree of connectivity and access has greatly raised expectations for customer service quality.