In today’s troubled economy, the path to profit from product sales often leads to aggressive cost cutting,
especially in a critical component within the service supply chain: customer service. Typically treated as a
necessary cost center, customer service often is deferred or ignored in pursuit of lower costs.
Optimistically, a company might position such a strategy as temporary, with plans to restore its customer
service levels when sales improve or the economy recovers. Companies should embrace customer
service to attract new customers, while at the same time take advantage of opportunities to meet, or
even exceed, the expectations of existing customers.