A good customer service agreement is one that can be understood by the service provider and the customer. Simplicity means that the agreement has precise points that indicate the services to be provided, the cost to be exchanged, what the customer can expect and what the service provider will indeed provide. To establish a worthwhile and simple agreement it is essential to avoid industry jargon and legalese.
A customer service agreement functions better when the customer is involved in writing it. Negotiating points of divergence, and compromising and agreeing on common areas is key to developing a customer service agreement. This will involve both sides gathering information about services and the expectations of both parties, analyzing these findings together and coming to an agreement. Without inclusion and negotiation, the customer-provider relationship is likely to be tumultuous.
At the heart of a customer service agreement should be the ability to change its provisions. Being flexible not only involves compromising but also allowing for the contract to be changed when the need arises. When writing the agreement it is important to include the conditions under which the document can be changed as well as the mechanisms of doing this. Neither the customer nor the service provider will feel trapped by the terms of a flexible agreement.
Writing the agreement at the right time will remove any adversarial feeling between the service provider and the customer. It is not very helpful for either party to write an agreement when they are arguing or complaining about services and costs. This is because the agreement will not be well-negotiated and will only serve to restrict the other party from complaining. An appropriate time to write a customer service agreement is when both parties are calm and can see eye to eye.