Don’t Forget About Customer Service
With a world engrossed in impersonal, technological relationships, one has to wonder, is customer service dying? Is it still important? Shoppers are buying online more, businesses are communicating through email, and face-to-face interaction is becoming steadily less prevalent. Millennials and Generation Z prefer texts over calls and emails over meeting in person. This shift in communication has hurt the customer service experience. Many consumers now reach out on social media and websites for service from or with questions for a company. However, many organizations have not kept up with this changing expectation of customer service. We, as business professionals, need to remember that it is still one of, if not THE most important aspect of our businesses. We collectively need to refocus on the customer experience. You may be skeptical as to why customer service is still so important if transactions can all take place flawlessly without it. Here are some interesting facts* that you might not have known:
78% of customers have cancelled a transaction due to poor customer service
55% of customers are willing to pay MORE for a guaranteed good customer service experience
For every one consumer complaint, there are 26 other dissatisfied consumers who never voiced their opinion
It is more costly for businesses to attract new customers than to keep existing ones, approximately 6-7x more expensive
Out of customers who switch brands, 66% of them did so as a result of poor customer service
As it turns out, failing to give your customers any attention can be worse than providing terrible service, as 91% of non-engaged customers are dissatisfied with their experience
Needless to say, the customer service experience will always be important despite the changing methods of communication. The way customer service is delivered will continue to shift and transform. With technology constantly evolving, it is our responsibility as business professionals to ensure that the customer service experience stays excellent.
*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-afshar/50-important-customer-exp_b_8295772.html
