Customer Service

Two articles have been brought to my attention this week.

The first one, in Retail Week said that
"The recession has changed consumers’ shopping habits so much that three quarters of shoppers would leave a store without buying if they received poor levels of customer service."
and that
"Nearly half of shoppers said their expectations have risen as a result of the recession."

The second article in the Institute of Customer Service news said that:
"Employers are investing in training despite the recession, and that 8 our of 10 employers have maintained or increased their training in the last 6 months."
and that
"Organisations are working harder to satisfy customers. The recession seems to be having a positive effect on customer service. Organisations are paying more attention to customers' needs and trying harder to retain business by improving the quality of their service and the way they provide it."

So why, you may be thinking, is a research company rather than a training company bringing this to your attention? I am sure that the training companies that read this will put a link in their replies that they post so that you can find the best course for you and your staff.

Let us go back one step.

What do your customers want from you?
Where do your customers feel that you need to improve?

This is where research comes in. Customer surveys can help you to find out the answers to these and other questions specifically relevant to you and your customers.

Based on the findings, you may be able to take immediate action or you may identify some staff training needs. You can then plan your training based on fact not supposition, so you can get the highest return from your training budget/ investment.

As one of our clients said:
"Ignorance is not bliss, it can cost you money.


Research Plus+
info@research-plus.co.uk
01603 408289

SSRG on the wider web

Hi there
At the Executive Committee meeting of the SSRG (Social Services Research Group) today I volunteered to be the new Membership Secretary. I look forward to meeting the new members of the organisation.

I should like to thank my predecessor in the post, Poonam Jain for the sterling work that she has done for the last few years. Your lively enthusiasm will be missed.

To make the organisation even more accessible there is going to be an increased presence on the wider world wide web. SSRG Social Services Research Group is a registered group on Facebook, There is also a presence on LinkedIn.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2105838&trk=anet_ug_hm

Looking forward to any comments this or previous blog posts bring up preferably on the blog or via email on mark@research-plus.co.uk