When most people look back on their interactions with customer service, they tend to think about who they complain to when something goes wrong.
Handling customer complaints is part of the job, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. For leading companies, including those operating in commoditized industries, support teams have become a strategic asset.
These teams serve as information gatherers, investigators, interdepartmental liaisons, and product recovery leaders. Service representatives are on the frontlines, taking customer feedback in real-time. Their actions affect the bottom line, not only for individual orders, but for future product development and forecasting.
But how does one team have such a massive company-wide impact?
End users often have a limited view of a company’s activities, interacting mostly with sales and customer service.
“Customer service is far more than a support function — it’s the experience that builds trust, deepens relationships, and ultimately drives revenue,” Marcus Tagliaferri, KrisTech’s Supply Chain Director, said. “Just like choosing between a restaurant with great service and one with terrible service, customers judge the entire company by the quality of care they receive in those few but meaningful moments.”
However, despite their limited interactions, customer service (CS) teams have a presence that’s felt across the company.
Perfect order rates (POR) are a critical metric for any company, measuring how well the business fulfills orders.
Experts define POR as the percentage of orders completed flawlessly, and include metrics like:
Missing one metric means losing the perfect order, so it’s crucial for companies to get it right the first time.
Once the sales team receives an order, the CS team jumps in to ensure the ordering process moves smoothly. They provide customers with their order confirmation number and answer any questions. Customer service reps also coordinate with the sales and logistics teams to produce critical shipping documents, including:
Bill of Lading (BOL) – This document is needed for shipping goods and serves as both a receipt and contract between the shipper and carrier. Without a BOL, materials don’t ship, especially to overseas locations.
Proforma Packing Slip – This serves as a preliminary bill of sale for the customer and includes cost and payment information.
Paying close attention to these documents and several other forms (depending on the product) prevents critical delays and shipping issues. For example, missing line items on a proforma invoice can delay shipments while workers determine what’s missing.
Proactive support generates positive outcomes for end users and companies.
Customer service is often the team that makes sure everything runs smoothly behind the scenes. Representatives serve as the conduit between customers and products, checking stock levels to confirm materials are available. Manufacturers and distributors can’t sell products they don’t have, nor can they sell what they don’t make.
Beyond ensuring stock availability, customer support gives buyers the data they need to make informed decisions. Once the customer has decided what they want, the CS team confirms several pieces of information, such as:
“We enter sales order number, customer name, shipping carrier tracking number, and customer service or sales rep responsible into our system,” Customer Service Specialist Kylie Aldrich explained. “We try to keep this on the original email thread where they placed the order. This helps us build customer trust, keep communication lines open, and provide real-time visibility.”
Constant communication and support do more than keep people informed; they increase customer satisfaction. Positive service experiences encourage brand loyalty, leading to higher customer lifetime values (CLV).
When customers share their frustrations or wish lists, they’re also sharing valuable information businesses can use for product forecasting. Their work helps quickly spot potential shortages, expedite requests, and monitor order statuses.
A good customer support team works like a group of investigators, collecting clues and data to share with the organization. These context clues can go a long way, especially during planning and forecasting. Buyer feedback is incredibly valuable, and when taken seriously, can reduce the risk and impact of bullwhip effects.
The bullwhip effect can be dangerous if not caught early. When customer trends or demands change, even slightly, the impact grows through the supply chain. Small preference changes can mutate into massive sales losses for distributors and manufacturers if unnoticed.
If we lived in a perfect world, every company would have a 100% perfect order rate, and customers would sing our praises.
That’s rarely the case, even for the best businesses. If orders go missing or arrive damaged, customer service is ready and able to make it right.
When something goes awry, it’s imperative to figure out what happened and correct it as fast as possible. Failing not only makes existing customers angry but also damages your accountability, trust, and reputation. A good CS team listens carefully, looking for clues to diagnose what went wrong.
“For effective complaint handling, we collect essential details like purchase order, material info, and issue nature,” Customer Service Specialist Faith McNett said. “We need this information to decipher the RMA scenario.”
From there, representatives complete return material authorization (RMA) forms and work with other departments to find a solution.
While dealing with upset customers isn’t glamorous or fun, efficiently correcting issues is an art form. Customers appreciate having their frustrations heard and understood, but teams can also find stumbling blocks in their operations. Quickly diagnosing and addressing failures often leads to a more proactive approach to processes. Over time, those improvements reduce overall operations costs and grow the bottom line.
Fixing mistakes can be uncomfortable, but taking accountability and learning from miscues can be a blessing. Not doing so, however, can have cascading impacts throughout the organization.
“Cross-department collaboration is critical to supporting the Logistics, Operations, Finance, and Purchasing teams properly manage order execution and material availability,” Director of Employee Engagement Wendy Calabrese said. “We also do this with proactive support from the sales team, which enhances customer satisfaction.”
If internal communication is a weakness, it may lead to threats like poor inventory tracking, data collection, and efficiency. Over time, issues compound, increasing fulfillment costs and reducing overall productivity.
The topic has been mentioned a couple of times, but customer service bolsters the company’s bottom line.
From handling freight claims and working through reverse logistics to receive returned materials to assembling tracking and packing lists and proof of delivery documents, customer service has a defined purpose. In every case, their goal is to reclaim value, either in physical dollars or simply goodwill.
Every consumer touchpoint is an opportunity to create long-term value. Customers expect to be delighted, and service departments must be ready to deliver every single time.
Good service can lead to higher profits and, more importantly, better customer lifetime values. In commoditized industries where products are similar across the board, differentiators are sometimes hard to come by. In cases like this, finding ways to influence and improve the supply chain goes a long way. Suddenly, lead times, communication methods, and problem-solving become key selling points compared to competitors in the space.
The supply chain is a living thing. Companies that listen to their audience can find opportunities to develop deeper, stronger links throughout their network. Eventually, those companies build raving fanbases made up of loyal customers who drive repeat business.
All it takes is a little anticipation, a genuine wanting to help others, and some keen ears.