Managing Customer Relations: Key Elements, Legal Issues, and Ethical Challenges

This report covers the key elements and concepts of good customer service, legal and ethical issues relevant to managing customer relations, and the impact of legal issues on customer relations. It uses ASOS plc, a UK-based clothing online company, as an example. The report discusses the importance of respect, responsiveness, and listening in customer service, as well as simplicity and clear communication in meeting customer expectations. It also identifies legal issues such as refund policy and fake product fraud that ASOS plc must consider when managing customer relations, and ethical challenges such as ignoring customer complaints and privacy and security issues. The report concludes that customer satisfaction is a priority for any organization, and maintaining good customer service and ethical business practices is crucial to avoid complications in business.

Managing costumer
relations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Main body........................................................................................................................................3
Key elements and concepts of good customer service...........................................................3
Identify any legal issues that the chosen business will have to consider when a customer is
returning a product with a complaint. How will this impact on customer relations?.............5
Ethical challenge that the business may face.........................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
It is essential for every company to maintain good relations with their customers because it will
help them to satisfy their customers and further provide benefit to company (Laperrière, Messing
and Bourbonnais, 2017). Companies can communicate with their customers on regular basis and
aware them about their products and services so that they maintain good relations with their
customers. ASOS plc is a clothing online company in UK which was founded in 2000 by
Nicholas Jon Robertson and Quentin John Griffiths. It is headquartered in London, UK. The
following report covers key elements and concepts of good customer service, legal and ethical
issues relevant to managing customer relations and impact of legal issues on relation with
customers.
Main body
Key elements and concepts of good customer service
Customer service are the support or well behaviour of employees toward their customers.
It is essential for every company to focus on customer service because most of the customers get
attracted toward the effective customer service factor of company. On the other hand, customer
experience is the outcome how customers feel about the services which is offered to them. Here,
customer will provide feedback that whether they like or dislike the service from a specific
company.
Elements and components of customer services-
Respect- It is essential for every company to respect their customers effectively. In
context of ASOS plc, they respect their customers and their every employee is supposed to reply
in polite and respectful manner whether the customer are harsh and rude toward them (Tukiran,
Tan and Sunaryo, 2021). It is important because it will help to attract more customers and make
them believe that the company is respecting them and help them in their issues regarding their
product. In case their customers complain them then also they apologize in very respectful
manner. Hence, this is the reason they have gained high reputation in market.
Responding- It is also essential for a company to respond their customers as soon as
possible in providing customer services. In context of ASOS Plc, in case they receive any
complaint on their official website then their employees will respond them as soon s possible. In

case any customer ask any question with their employees regarding awareness about products
and their services then their employees respond them effectively and politely top gain their
attention. Hence, it is important for companies like ASOS plc to respond their customers
effectively for their business growth.
Listening- It is also important for every company to listen their customers well that that
they actually want and what they did not want from the company's service providing facilities.
Listening is a good habit where ASOS company's staff members are required to listen what their
customers are saying and they want to interpretate. Without listening to customers point of view,
companies are unable to provide effective services to their customers.
Elements and components of customer expectation-
Simplicity- Every customer expect that their chosen company will simplify their each
process and communication way effectively (Ensslin and et. al., 2018). This will help in
company's success. In context of ASOS plc, their customers will gain high experience when they
communicate simply with their customers.
Communicate clearly and honestly- It is essential for every company to communicate
clearly and honestly about their products and services to their customers so that they will gain
high experience. In context of ASOS company, their customers reviewing good for their clear
communication toward them. This is also the factor for their high market reputation.
Identify any legal issues that the chosen business will have to consider when a customer is
returning a product with a complaint. How will this impact on customer relations?
Asos plc is the online e-commerce business that operates in the fashion industry of the
UK. The company is famous for its customer service in long run and also has good profit earning
every year. There are times when the customer return the product of the company with the
complaints due to the dissatisfaction with the product that lead the company into some serious
legal issues. Some of the legal issues or challenges that ASOS plc must consider are discussed
underneath:
Refund policy legal issue: when the customers returning a product the product due to the
not liking the product or expected something else the company has a return policy for that. But
when the customers sometimes don't receive the full refund for that that could lead to some
serious issue for the company (Sigala, 2018). This may cause the violation of the legal refund
policy. Such legal issue can really create a bad impact on customer relations of the ASOS plc as

the customers may lose a trust on the firm and there legally return policy. This will potentially
lead to decline of sales and bad reputation of firm among other customers. This will badly impact
the communication of customers with the ASOS plc.
Fake product fraud issue: the issue of product counterfeit which is kind of customer
fraud in which a product sold to the customer purport something else that is not in real. This
means the customers are charged higher for something that does not cost that much in real. When
customer encounter such compliant are huge issue for the company as this is abolition of
copyright of other company causing the loss of their sales (Terziev and Georgiev, 2017). This
legal issue cause the huge problems in the customer relations as the company will face the law
suit issue and also the after reading the reviews and cases about the ASOS plc the customers will
have the bad image about the company in their minds.
Thus, such legal issue are bad for the company's brand image among the customers and
the market. Also by this customers of ASOS plc will turn towards the other brands and company.
Ethical challenge that the business may face
Ethical issues are difficult to deal and it is important for every company to deal effectively with
every ethical issues. Few of the ethical issues are mentioned below-
Ignoring the complaints of customers for longer period of time- It is essential for
every company to manage and respond their customers as soon as possible (Larsson and
Viitaoja, 2017). Hence, in case ASOS company ignore any complaint of their customers which is
reviewed in customers comments when they provide rating to their company is one of the biggest
ethical issue which should be mitigated before it harm the business. This will dissatisfy their
customers and influence them to switch their brand.
Providing wrong solutions to wrong clients- Online businesses are having more
customers and it might be possible that they will receive the complaints in bundle. In context of
ASOS company which receive their complaints on their website, their complaints handling team
are ineffective to manage all complaints effectively. Most of the time, they provide wrong
solution to wrong client which makes customer more dissatisfied.
Privacy and security issues- Some of the company are unable to manage their data
effectively and due to this the data of customers get leaked which is one of the biggest ethical
issue in any company. In context of ASOS company, they are unable to leak the content like
their complaints and personal detail of customer at other platform. In case they share the

customers complaints and how they solve the solution on social media for promoting their band
with out asking their customers then this is ineffective and ethical issue which is supposed to
mitigate as soon as possible (Ghares, Gilson and Ndiaye, 2021). Due to this issue the company is
declining their brand image in market.
Did not picking up the calls of customers- Every customer did not complaint on social
media, websites or any other platform. Most of the customers prefer to to directly call the
company and need to resolve their query or complaint on calls. Most of the time ASOS staff
members are unable to pick up the call of their customers and due to this customers again get
dissatisfied that the company is not responding well.
CONCLUSION
It is concluded from the above report that in any organisation customer satisfaction is the
priority as the business can only run smoothly when the customer are satisfied with their
services. For the good customer service the customer needs must be fulfilled and there must not
be delay or extra waiting time for the availability of the product. Politeness and good
communication before and after the sales is also the part of good customer service. But there are
complaints when the products are returned or not appropriate that create legal issues like refund
policy etc. thus organisation are also suggested to maintain the ethical business and customer
service in order to avoid any complication in business.

REFERENCE
Book and journal
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(Ghares, Gilson and Ndiaye, 2021)