Are companies really committed to delivering great customer service? Will consumers pay more for better service? Will customers really stop doing business with companies who provide poor customer services? Here is what the statistics say....
Are companies really committed to delivering great customer service? Will consumers pay more for better service? Will customers really stop doing business with companies who provide poor customer services? Here is what the statistics say....
Customer Service Fact: 90% of companies agree that the customer experience is important and critical to their 2010 plans. 80% of those companies want to use customer service/experience as a way to differentiate themselves from their competition. (Source: Forrester’s The State of Customer Experience, 2010)
What It Means to You: If you read this carefully it doesn’t say that 90% of companies are committed to delivering great service. They just agree that it is important. And, 80% “want” to use customer service as a differentiator. So, why don’t they just do it? There are plenty of companies out there with a brand promise that includes customer service, however the employees aren’t consistently delivering on that promise. The bottom line, it takes more than a promise.
Customer Service Fact: 82% of consumers stopped doing business with a company because of bad customer service. This is up from 59% just four years ago. (Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report - 2010)
What It Means to You: This is almost a 50% increase! Customers are smarter than ever and looking for more value. More than just customer service, they want a great customer experience. If you can’t deliver, then say goodbye to the customer – and maybe your business.
Customer Service Fact: Even in a down economy, 85% of consumers will pay more to the company that provides them better customer service. (Source: Harris Interactive, Customer Experience Impact Report, 2010)
What It Means to You: This is good news! Customer service makes price less relevant. You still need to be competitive, but you don’t necessarily have to be the lowest price – as long as you deliver customer service that adds value to the overall experience.
Above is what I call the “why.” You still need the “how to.” My suggestion is to go to my customer service articles website and print out and read through over 150 articles that will give you many “how to’s.” Go to http://www.customer-service-articles.com
Or, as a holiday gift, why don’t you buy someone a copy of “The Cult of the Customer,” which has dozens and doezens of “how to’s.” (http://www.CultOfTheCustomer.com)
Shep Hyken works with companies who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees.
Copyright 2010 by Shep Hyken. Used with permission.