Customer service is the key component for the thriving of most consumer-based businesses. According to the 2012 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, many customers surveyed state that they would pay a little extra for products if they were confident in and excited about the service they receive. So, are companies willing to spend more to improve their service? Some say yes, others not so much.
In a recent article on Parature, Tricia Morris examines recent statistics to find:
At Aberdeen’s 2012 Chief Service Officer Summit, 85% of attending business leaders stated that their organization was placing an increased importance on customer service in 2013, and in Aberdeen’s Trends in Customer Service: Multi-Channel Edition report, 56% of respondents said their goal for customer service in 2013 was to increase satisfaction.
While that sounds like great news, the figures determine that only 8% of the companies are willing to increase spending to invest in better service, while the others fall into a variety of other chosen options. Until companies start taking a real hard look at this area, they will continue to struggle against the grain of all of the competition. Companies have to put more effort into hiring the right kind of people, putting them into an improved working culture, keeping them engaged in their job, giving them the proper equipment, and maybe even see if it is necessary to rethink their philosophy on the CSR. All of these areas can culminate into a great service experience for the customer, and not all areas require financial investment, though some do. The amount of investment needed will depend on which areas need the most work.
Two-years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported on this very topic, stating “Executives are paying more attention to customer service in an effort to increase sales and gain market share in the economic recovery.” Many of the examples given are beneficial changes, like one company instructing their “call-center supervisors to spend 70% of their time coaching their agents, more than double the amount of time they spent before.” Changes take time and resources, but tend to pay off well beyond their initial investments.
Just this past October, American Express writer Ashley Lutz stated the same thing about investing in Customer Service. While there is such a big push to get everything into an online mode of operation, their article reminds companies not to put all of their eggs in one basket:
Today, it’s incredibly important for businesses to realize what customers want, and many retailers have the instinct to invest in online customer service. But the vast majority of customers actually prefer getting customer service in person or over the phone, according to a recent report from Forrester Research.
Truly, this mentality is nothing new, yet we still find many local businesses hiring the wrong types of candidates and ignoring the training needed to have them offer excellent service. Online, offline, or whatever type of service is offered, it is most important to realize that customer service can make or break a company, and while these types of changes can cost extra for the company, if done properly, they will pay off in the long-run.
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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