The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs working in a corporation supervises and coordinates the consumer affairs, customer services, and customer relations services. The individual in this position will be responsible for everything that happens in the department. The consumer affairs department has a number of functions. The department is responsible for making sure that customers are satisfied with the company’s products and services. It is also responsible for resolving any complaints and problems that the customer has. A third function of the department is to supply customers with useful information about the company and its products. The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs is responsible for seeing that all these functions are carried out.
The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs, who also might be called the director of customer relations, works with the public relations department as well as upper management in creating corporate policies as they pertain to consumers. He or she is required to understand and be able to explain policies to customers and customer relations representatives. The individual sees to it that state and federal regulations as they apply to company products and services are adhered to. The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs is responsible for training customer relations representatives. The individual may hold one-on-one training sessions for each new employee or may hold group sessions at periodic intervals. The coordinator may also be expected to write and develop training manuals for both consumer representatives and others working in the company.
The individual is responsible for explaining how consumer calls and letters should be handled, answered, and taken care of. The coordinator explains what information should be taken from consumers and how to maintain files. The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs is not usually responsible for answering routine calls from customers. However, the individual is responsible for dealing with phone calls or letters from consumers who are extremely upset, irate, or irrational. The coordinator is also expected to handle any major consumer problems. For example, if a customer calls the company about a problem and suggests that a lawsuit will follow unless he or she is satisfied, the Coordinator of Consumer Affairs will step in.
The coordinator finds out what the problem is and determines what will resolve the situation in the customer’s mind. Often a replacement will take care of the situation. Sometimes the consumer just wants someone to agree with him or her. At other times the problem must be discussed with the public relations or marketing director or possibly upper management. The coordinator must know enough about human psychology to have the ability to calm people down so that problems can be resolved.
The coordinator is responsible for writing letters to consumers who have written or called. The individual may develop stock letters for different situations and write personal letters where the stock letters are not applicable. He or she may also be required to prepare periodic reports dealing with the number of calls and letters the department has received and the number of and nature of complaints, and to explain to management how problems were resolved. In the event of a product recall the Coordinator of Consumer Affairs has yet another responsibility. He or she must train the representatives to deal with consumers who call up frightened and angry. The individual meets with upper management and the advertising, public relations, and marketing departments to decide what steps to take to keep customer confidence in the company and to alleviate any additional problems that may occur.
The coordinator must decide the best way to tell consumers about the recall. Depending on the product and the severity of the recall, the consumer affairs office may just call or write to people who have sent in their product warranty cards. The coordinator may be required to write press releases or give information on the recall to people in the public relations office. National and local news and wire services may be informed of the situation in order to get the word out quickly. This is important. If the product recall concerns food or a children’s toy, promptness might be lifesaving. The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs is required to let consumers know what to do with the faulty product. He or she must decide if the product should be brought to a store for a refund, sent back to the company for repair, replacement, or refund. The individual is responsible for coordinating the entire recall effort.
The coordinator may also be responsible for developing and writing consumer-oriented materials. These materials could include product information and instructional books, leaflets, booklets, and flyers. The individual might also be expected to prepare consumer newsletters. The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs is responsible to the director of public relations or marketing or to the chief executive officer of the company, depending on the structure of the corporation.
Salaries for Coordinators of Consumer Affairs may range from $25,000 to $56,000 plus annually depending on a number of variables. These include the specific corporation, its location, and its size. The individual’s responsibilities and experience level are also variables.
Most midsize and larger companies have a Coordinator of Consumer Affairs position. It may be called customer relations manager, director of consumer relations, customer services coordinator, or one of a host of different names, but the position is still relatively the same. Employment prospects are fair for an individual seeking employment as a Coordinator of Consumer Affairs in a corporation. Positions may be located throughout all areas of the country.
The individual may climb the career ladder by becoming the director of public relations or marketing. The coordinator may also find a similar position in a larger, more prestigious corporation, which would result in increased earnings.
The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs working in the corporate world is required to have a minimum of a four-year college degree in public relations, marketing, advertising, English, communications, liberal arts, or business administration. Many individuals in this position have a graduate degree.
Supervisory skills are a must for the Coordinator of Consumer Affairs. The individual must have a working knowledge of company policy and the corporation itself. Experience working as a customer relations representative is usually necessary, although experience in public relations might also be acceptable.
The coordinator of this department should have good interpersonal skills. The ability to deal well with subordinates, superiors, and customers is imperative. The Consumer Affairs Coordinator will often be called in when the consumer relations representative cannot resolve a problem. At this point the consumer might be either irate or irrational. The ability to handle problems and situations with empathy, sympathy, and calm is required. The individual must be articulate, with good communications skills. He or she should also be adept at developing and writing a variety of different types of materials.
The Coordinator of Consumer Affairs working in a corporation may belong to the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business (SOCAP). This organization holds seminars, training sessions, and conferences and offers written material on effective ways to deal with consumer problems in business. Individuals may also belong to private and voluntary consumer organizations created to advocate specific consumer interests. Many Coordinators of Consumer Affairs are also members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
1. Become a member of SOCAP, the industry trade association, as well as the PRSA and other relevant organizations. These organizations provide educational and professional guidance in addition to the opportunity to make important contacts.
2. Volunteer your time to work with a consumer organization. This will give you valuable hands-on experience and look good on your résumé.
3. Job openings are advertised in newspaper display and classified sections. Look under heading classifications of “Consumer Affairs,” “Customer Service,” “Customer Relations,” “Public Relations,” “Advertising,” or “Marketing.”
4. There are many employment agencies that deal specifically with jobs in public relations. Before you get involved, determine who will pay the fee when you locate a job. In some agencies the applicant pays, while in others the employer is responsible for the fee.
5. Jobs may also be located on company Web sites. Look for the employment section.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Articleinput.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
Note: This article was sent to us by: Randy Hallen at 03282010
1. Innovators invest in research and development
All articles are property of their respective authors. Please read our Privacy Policy!
© 2009 ArticleInput.com.