Make Customer Service More Enjoyable
British businesses are being urged to make their customer service more enjoyable as this will help retain consumers.
Research by YouGov revealed that 83 per cent of consumers thought businesses would improve customer service during the current economic climate but only five per cent claim they experienced better levels of service in the past three years.
There was more evidence that British customers are disillusioned with their retail experience as a paltry two per cent said they enjoyed dealing with customer service staff while just over a third claimed they were satisfied.
In addition, nine per cent said they resort to 'pulling their hair out' when interacting with customer service employees, while a third claimed to be frustrated and 14 per cent thought that customer service staff were unsatisfactory.
There was more bad news for British businesses as only 14 per cent of people thought that organisations actually lived up to the promises made in their marketing campaigns.
Businesses that realise the importance of improving customer service in the current economic climate should employ performance improvement consulting experts as they can apply systems thinking theory to their organisation.
Applying systems thinking theory is a method of enabling managers to analyse their business from a broader perspective while focusing on the whole of their organisation rather than seeing it as a collection of separate departments.
Using systems thinking theory effectively will also allow people to view an organisation from their customers' point of view which is essential for improving service and eliminating mistakes and waste at every level.
Businesses that use systems thinking to improve customer service will be able to see new ways to make the consumer's interaction with employees more enjoyable which can increase retention rates and promote a positive reputation.
The YouGov research, commissioned by technology provider Avanade, also discovered that they way customers complain is evolving as younger consumers are more likely to use the internet to express their dissatisfaction.
It was found that 36 per cent of young people aged between 18 and 24 use social media to sound off to friends and family but this number is reduced to 20 per cent when applied to people of all ages.
The evidence should encourage more businesses to use social media to respond to consumer complaints through channels such as Twitter and Facebook as this will improve customer service.
Customers appreciate a prompt reply to complaints as they feel appreciated and will be more likely to deal with a business which reacts to their problems quickly and conveniently.
About the Author
Himsworth Consultancy is a leading management consultancy firm of senior business and consultancy professionals that specialise in improving corporate and operational performance, delivering world-class customer service improvements and offering alternatives to business and functional outsourcing. Visit http://www.himsworthconsultancy.com/ for further details.
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