What can a brand do to ensure that it catches and retains a customer’s attention? Brands have long passed the phase where price is key to entice customers to switch brand loyalties. In present times, where prices are slashed at the drop of a hat, the initiative is now with the companies to come up with newer attractions to retain and increase their market share. The competition is now so fierce that brand monopoly is almost non-existent. The escalating price war has only benefitted the customer.

Competition between brands has now moved to a different turf. After quality of product, brands now compete fiercely on the services offered to the customer. Customer service has become the clincher in the establishment of new brand loyalties. The service industry has prospered due to this reason. Additionally, over the last few decades, in addition to the manufacturing sector finding its base in developing countries, the service industry has also migrated east. With outsourcing being the trend of the last decade or so, the service sector has emerged as the greatest contributor to the nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The service sector includes public sector institutions, private companies, the banking system, and the education industry, to name a few.

The state of product branding is such, that brands are now being evaluated by the kind of services they offer. The onus is now upon each company to reinvent themselves to offer innovative and interactive customer services.

Customer servicing being an important aspect of brand management has added to the rapid growth of the service industry in India. It involves studying behavioral aspects of customers along with understanding their expectations from the product and brand on the whole. The main aspect of customer service is to address and satisfy the customers’ demands in whatever way one can. And with experience, it will extend to anticipating a customer’s needs and addressing them proactively. Although this sector has made great strides in the market and the economy of our country, the science behind it is yet to evolve.

Educational institutions have now begun to take notice of this trend and specialized courses in customer service have recently been introduced in the curriculum of some colleges. A structured approach to strengthen the backbone of this industry will only add to the solid future that is in store for this industry.

There are some colleges in Coimbatore which provides MBA management course and this course mainly focus on customer relation management.