Jim Clemmer: Customer Service Critical to Success

It’s a classic good news, bad news story. Consumers are willing to spend from 7 – 22% more for better customer service. But 60% believe organizations haven’t increased their focus on providing good customer service. That’s slipped from 55% in 2010. And 26% of this group feels organizations are paying less attention to service.

The American Express Global Customer Service Barometer survey was conducted in the U.S., Canada, Australia, U.K., India, Mexico, France, Italy, Germany, and Netherlands. “Getting service right is more than just a nice to do; it’s a must do…ultimately, great service can drive sales and customer loyalty,” said Jim Bush, Executive Vice President, World Service.

Here are some key findings:

• “78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience.
• Three in five Americans (59%) would try a new brand or company for a better service experience.
• Americans tell an average of nine people about good experiences and nearly twice as many (16 people) about poor ones.
• Customers who have a fantastic service experience say friendly representatives (65%) who are ultimately able to solve their concerns (66%) are most influential.
• Consumers worldwide value service – but most feel businesses aren’t measuring up.”

 

The survey quotes phrases that are the most irritating to customers. One of my pet peeves is on the list; “Your call is important to us. Please continue to hold.”

For over 30 years, Jim Clemmer’s practical leadership approaches have been inspiring action and achieving results. He has delivered thousands of keynote presentations, workshops, and management team retreats to hundreds of organizations around the globe moving his audiences from inspiration to application. He’s listed in the World’s Top 30 Most Influential Leadership Gurus based on research with 22,000 global business people, consultants, academics and MBAs. His website is www.JimClemmer.com.