Over the past decade, there have been an increasing number of business transactions initiated and completed without any or with very little face-to-face interactions with the service provider. Today, the economy is undergoing a paradigm shift from product to service-centric transactions.  Service is fast becoming the ‘critical success factor’ for any offering. The need to improve responsiveness and deliver high quality is more important than ever before for they can make or break an offering.

The customer should be given the liberty to access information, or help may be provided to him through an agent. Most customers prefer to find information or initiate transactions on their own. Every transaction should customize the offering so that each customer is accorded a special treatment. The extent of preference give to a customer could be based on the past experiences of the enterprise with the prospect. The employees and the systems should know the customer and further build that knowledge base with every customer-contact. It can be then used to further personalize the service for the customer.

For many organizations, customer service is through their electronic front door.  It creates an environment to handle inbound and outbound customer traffic in the most effective, efficient and profitable manner in an organization. It throws open the path to unlimited opportunities that include a wider customer base with which the organization can do business. The electronic front door can also economically reach diverse and widely distributed customer groups, allow customization of a product and service to a particular customer or a group of customer, enable business round the clock in any geographic area, avoid overheads of traditional, hierarchical and paper-based transactions as well as increase employee productivity.

The customer on his part gets easy access to experts in the organization any time. Thus, the electronic front door could form the base of consistent customer interactions and take care of the enterprises-from acquiring a customer, delivering the service or product, billing the customer, supporting him, and finally creating a platform for a consistent and meaningful relation. People dealing with the enterprise expect it to know them and want to be treated as if they are indispensable.  During an electronic interface, the customer should be given the liberty to choose the medium of interaction. It is he who should decide if the needs to use the phone, the internet, fax or any other electronic medium of his choice.

For getting the best out of electronic front door in providing world-class service to customers, is to enable and empower the employees who manage it. Employees from the cornerstone of any service. They should therefore be provided with the right tools, processes, information and training to deliver a world-class customer experience. The best way to achieve excellence is using the electronic from door is to monitor success over a period time while using it. Quality initiatives and constant monitoring of processes go a long way in winning customer satisfaction. Process re-engineering and continuous up gradation of technology is a must. The Best practices of the industry can be used as a bench mark on an on-going basis. his will ensure consistent and quality service to customers.

Today, the economy is undergoing a paradigm shift from product to service Today, we are witnessing a new era where the customers are in charge. Organizations need to fundamentally rethink their strategies-reduce costs, work harder and employ better people but more than that they need to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. The answer therefore lies outside the company. Customer relationship is the most valuable asset of an enterprise, may be even more that the employees. The electronic front door leverages technology, placing the customer in the driver’ seat. It redefines the basic business process around customers and prospects, allowing them to do business with the enterprise at their will.