There are many “top” lists and “worst of” lists, but ending up on the Customer Service Hall of Shame list may be the last list that any business wants to appear on.
As usual 3 of the top 5 offenders are cable/satellite providers while businesses from the financial industry and telecomm round out the top. Most of the reasons these companies are consistently ranked worst in customer satisfaction are well within their control. However, in many instances customer dissatisfaction is tied to issues that the company is not quite responsible for but also may not be handling well.
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure”
The only way for businesses to achieve and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction is through expertly designed survey research. Through surveys organizations are able to understand what drives satisfaction and understand what is fixable and what concerns may need to be mitigated because of issues out of their hands.
It’s out of our control
We think that a company sticking its head in the sand over issues out of their hands is simply a missed opportunity.
Whether it’s 4-6 hour appointment times, and lack of competitive options in the TV provider industry, or government regulations like those found in financial service market many businesses have customers dissatisfied with issues that may be completely or partially out of their hands.
Showing your customers you care even about issues that are out of your hands provides opportunity to mitigate those concerns and come up with ways to offset those complaints. If you think that out of the realm of control issues aren’t a big deal look no further than the rate customers are “cutting the cord” when it comes to cable in favor of online options and how many different banking options are available to consumers.
We can control it
The controllable metrics by which customer satisfaction are measured are the easiest ones to form strategies around improving.
These areas usually include things like employee courtesy and knowledge, wait times, problem resolution, clear billing practices, delivering on promises, etc. As you can see by this list each of these items controllable and most importantly fixable. Once these issues are identified steps can be taken to improve or even overhaul processes and strategies.
Understanding what drives customer satisfaction on issues that are controllable gives organizations the power to effect the change necessary to increase profitability through customer retention, loyalty, and lifetime value.
But it’s the industry standard!
As we all know certain industries are known for behavior that would be inexcusable in any other situation. To us, this is a massive opportunity for a company willing to not accept the status quo.
Imagine the 1 business out of a hundred that doesn’t accept treating its customers by industry standards and instead wows them. As opposed to believing this is the way its always been done and consumers don’t mind, they find out what causes dissatisfaction and they attack it.
Exceeding the standards set forth by the consumer, not the industry, is the way to monumental success. An organization that decides to go above and beyond what the industry has set forth is poised to gain massive market share and turn the competition upside down.
Uncontrollable, Controllable, or Standard
Whether it’s your organizations fault or not, satisfaction metrics have to be consistently measured and strategies need to be expertly formed to mitigate concerns, improve satisfaction, and rise above industry standards.
Big Buck Research & Analytics partners with clients big and small to understand customer concerns when it comes to issues both controllable and those that are out of a company’s hands. We identify the drivers behind customer satisfaction then jointly strategize with our clients to increase satisfaction, measure it over time and put in place the necessary steps to ensure long term success.
Customer Service Hall of Shame Article from Yahoo http://finance.yahoo.com/news/customer-hall-shame-151103637.html