Great Customer Service – Why does it seem so difficult?

Providing excellent levels of customer service shouldn’t be complicated. In fact, providing excellent levels of customer service should be very simple.

Why does it seem such a challenge for most companies to achieve it?

High levels of customer service is connected to high levels of customer satisfaction and high levels of repeat business and recommendations. It has been common knowledge for years that people tell people when they have a bad experience, they tell a lot of people, and then those people tell more people!

Great customer service

Typically, dissatisfied customers tell 9 to 15 other people about their experience!

According to a survey in the US (White House Office of Consumer Affairs) some tell 20 or more. They also say that a negative customer experience is the reason 86% of consumers quit doing business with a company (Customer Experience Impact Report). Just imagine all that lost revenue.

So, what can be done about it? Is it management? Is it the front-line customer facing teams?

Do you know if your company is providing a great customer experience? Are your team providing great levels of customer service? What do your customers say? What does your team say? Well, that might be a good place to start.

Knowledge is key to improving the customers experience and improving customer service.

In a recent article by Julian Richer of Richer Sounds in the Sunday Times, he says that they have been voted the best retailer of any kind by members of the ‘Which Consumer Group’ for six of the eleven years the award has been going! Julian said, “It’s not complicated, but it is very hard work, the first and last moments are crucial to get right”.

Customer experience evaluations should be conducted on an-on-going basis through a combination of initiatives. Your assets are your front-line team, your customers and your service or products. How well do all your assets work together to achieve consistently high levels of customer service?

What would it cost to find-out? What would it cost to implement an on-going ‘Customer-First’ programme into your business?

A range of ‘Customer-First’ initiatives could include:

  • Customer feedback and analysis. Find out what your customer think, they are valuable at helping improve service.
  • Mystery shopping. Replicate any method that a customer can interact with your business.
  • Feedback from Employees (Employee forums) Does anybody ask them? I bet they don’t. The feedback that they share with each other out of the work environment needs to be shared with you.
  • Training and development initiatives. A well-planned ‘Customer-First’ training programme over a period of time achieves great results.

Consult My View Research and see what we can do, ask what we do for others and how much it costs.

Find out more at www.myviewresearch.com!