Raise your hand it you feel you work in a customer service based industry.
I’m going out on a limb here by guessing that virtually everyone who reads this blog post raised a hand (at least in spirit!).
Now raise your hand if you believe that YOU personally provide excellent customer service.
Again, I’m taking a stab in the dark, but I’m guessing about 90% of you believe you provide excellent customer service.
Last request…raise your hand if you believe that the business you work for provides excellent customer service.
OK, if you raised your hand, take a moment to really evaluate the quality of the customer service your business provides. Think about all the people in your company who interact with stakeholders, internal or external, including: the finance department, HR, IT, product development, marketing, sales, CEO, and even the receptionist. Do you think that they would ALL score an “A” on a customer service evaluation? OK, for the sake of discussion, let’s assume you do.
Now take a look at your customer retention rates over the past three years and answer that question again.
If your retention rates have dropped significantly over the past three years, chances are that the quality of the customer service your company provides may not be as good as you think it is.
Yeah, yeah, I know… the poor economy has led to a drop in consumer spending across the board, leading to a drop in customer retention. But consumers still need to make purchases. They’ve just become more selective about who they spend their money with. If you’re not meeting their customer service expectations, chances are, fewer consumers have selected to spend their money with you!
Over the weekend, I was having a problem downloading some software that I purchased for my PC. I contacted the manufacturer and couldn’t get anyone to actually pick up the phone. Right off the bat, I would have given these guys an “F” for customer service. I then noticed that they had a customer service chat room. I decided to give it a try. The customer service representative was quick to respond, patient, helpful and generally provided excellent customer service. Had I tried the chat room first, I probably would have given this company an “A” for customer service. However, since speaking to someone was my first choice (which they didn’t satisfy) and communicating digitally was my second, the best score I can give this customer service is a “B”. I would probably buy from this company again, but not definitely, and what’s worse…I’m sharing my negative customer service experience with others. Believe me, your customers do the same thing. Statistics show that a dissatisfied customer will share that experience with 8 to 10 other people.
Would you be satisfied with a customer service score of “B” in today’s economy? I wouldn’t! You know why? Because I guarantee you that one of your competitors is going to be scored an “A”, and I bet you know who that competitor is. Now compare customer retention rates and see if your competitor’s rates are better or worse than yours over the past three years.
A recent statistic at the Trainingzone.co.uk outlined the following reasons why customers quit:
• 1% die
• 3% move away
• 5% develop other friendships
• 9% find the service or product cheaper elsewhere
• 14% are dissatisfied with the product
• 68% are dissatisfied with the attitude of indifference shown towards
them by an employee
If you are COMPLETELY satisfied with the customer service your company provides, then just ignore this blog post. However, if you have even one ounce of doubt, I suggest you take another look at your customer service training. In today’s economy, you can’t afford not to.
