There is an old Chinese proverb which says “a man without a smiling face must not open a shop”. The world of retail may have become more complicated since then, but the simple message behind this proverb is certainly true today – customer service should be at the heart of any business.
Whether due to technical difficulties or poor management, many businesses are still failing to get this basic principle right. And the cost is huge. Poor customer service costs US businesses a staggering $41 billion a year.
93% of customers take action after bad service – they either switch to another company, share their negative experience on social media, or write a damning ‘revenge review’, which can cost you a fortune in lost potential business. Whatever they do, the fact that they are no longer your customer costs your business money.
Consumers want to feel appreciated and if they have a problem, they want to be able to get in touch quickly. 59% of customers want to contact a business by phone – demonstrating that a large proportion of Americans want a better ‘human service’.
Customers want to talk to a real person, and they want the person on the other end of the line to listen. When in reality, calling a business can result in nearly an hour of waiting on hold, only to get through to an agent who can’t solve your problem.
Quite simply, cutting back on your customer service team will only lose you money in the long-run. This customer service themed infographic explains the full impact of poor service on US businesses – once you read it, you’ll never want to have an unsatisfied customer again!
James Duval is a business and tech writer from GKBC who has never stayed with a company that offered him bad customer service when he had a problem.
about the author: Guest Author
