I have had the privilege to speak to many organizations in various places to talk about providing exceptional customer service to every customer every time. A few times I received feedback from the audience stating that providing consistent exceptional customer service every time is a “common sense” act. I agree, it is a common sense act. The problem is that this “common sense” act is not implemented in many customer service transactions resulting in a loss of customer base, reduced profit margin, and producing low employee morale.
What does low employee morale have to do with poor customer service? If corporate profits suffer as result of a loss of its customer base, it is very possible that this will result in reduced/eliminated employee raises, reduced/eliminated profit sharing checks, bonuses, and other employee perks. These factors can have an adverse affect on an employee’s frame of reference on how they perform their jobs which, in turn, directly affects their customer service delivery.
Significant research has been dedicated to prove that customers are becoming less tolerant of being ignored and/or mistreated. Here are a few points to consider:
* Consumers are 2 times more likely to share their bad customer service experiences than they are to talk about positive experiences. (2012 Global Customer Service Barometer)
* 26% of consumers have experienced being transferred from agent to agent without any resolution to their problem. (2012 Global Customer Service Barometer)
* 42% of service agents are unable to efficiently resolve customer issues due to disconnected systems, archaic user interfaces, and multiple applications. (Forrester)
* A customer is 4 times more likely to buy from a competitor if the problem is service related vs. price or product related. (Bain & Co.)
Sometimes, customer service is simply about having an engaging and captivating attitude. Customer relationships can be saved or sunk by employees displaying a genuine attitude that says “I am glad that you are my customer and I want to consistently exceed your expectations” or the wrong attitude that conveys, “you are interrupting my day so let’s get this over with…what do you want?”
It comes down to one word: Attitude. Even if you say and do the “right” thing, if the attitude is wrong, you have offended the customer. We will pick on that in our next blog. Until then, make it a great day and provide exceptional customer service to every customer every time.
I look forward to talking to you soon.
Colette
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