Poor customer service costs UK businesses £15.3bn a year, and improved human capital development is at the heart of the problem, a major report has found.
Consumers were asked to identify the factors that make the biggest difference in improving satisfaction levels. According to the data, consumer satisfaction increases when companies meet four key needs – all of which imply heavy investment in people development for companies with moderate or low levels of customer service:
• Competency,
• Convenience,
• Proactive engagement,
• Personalisation.
More than 83 per cent of consumers wanted more skilled assistance from customer services representatives, rating such ‘proactive engagement’ as a strong benefit. The same proportion would welcome proactive assistance when stuck on the web or in some form of self-service.
‘Most businesses understand that turning the customer experience into an emotional engagement adds value to their brand and results in consumers who are more loyal and satisfied,’ said Keith Pearce, Senior Director of EMEA Marketing, Genesys, which published the report. ‘It is important for businesses to continually gain perspective on the changing nature of customer service, as well as consumer perceptions of it. We hope these survey results will provide enterprises with a better understanding of the opportunities and the challenges in delivering a great customer experience.’
Andy Hanselman, business competitive specialist, writing in www.management-issues.com says: ‘Why not have a look at these key questions and consider how you measure up? Rate yourself out of 10 against each question and importantly, identify what you need to do about it. Why not get your colleagues to do it too, and get this stuff on the agenda.
1. How competent are our people?
2. How well do they know their stuff?
3. How good are we at demonstrating that to our customers?
4. How easy are we to buy from and deal with?
5. How effective are we at proactively engaging with our customers?
6. How do we encourage engagement with our customers?
7. How good are we at doing it in a way that works for our customers, not the way that's easiest for us?
8. How good are we at 'personalising' things for our customers?
9. How effective are we at making customers 'feel' that it's personalised?
10. How do we know the real answers to these questions?’
The Cost of Poor Customer Service: The Economic Impact of the Customer Experience is available from press@genesyslab.com