Focus on Customer Service

Another set of articles came to my attention this week. Yet again they were concerned with customer service.

Curry's the electrical store has noticed that it is beneficial to promote its customer service rather than aiming at the cheapest price. People are willing to pay a little more if they are getting the added value of additional customer service.

An excellent way of getting some credibility for your customer service is to use a third party organisation to provide that for you.

The credibility has to come in an appropriate way that adds to your business in a powerful way. For instance, would it be a benefit for you to be able to say that over 90% of your customers would recommend you to a friend?

If the industry calls for it then, perhaps you too should think about going down the route of 'best buys'. The web site: www.services-plus.co.uk links to a company with many 'Which best buy' awards. For this company it works.

What would work for your company?

Would a local or a national external company providing third party credibility be of benefit to you?

What do you think?

National Customer Service Week

The issue of customer focus has come to my attention again this week.

In the news there was an article reporting that a McDonalds store has discovered the benefits of employing people over 60. The main benefits were that they were able to communicate well with customers and provide a good service.

B&Q has 8% of its workforce over the age of 65 with one apprentice being 70. Again improved customer service is one of the reasons for this.

Retail Week noted that in the retail sector older staff are an invaluable part of the workforce. Having older workers on the team can also help boost customer service. Many retailers have customers of all ages so having an equally diverse workforce can only be
a good thing.


This brings me on to National Customer Service Week.

What is National Customer Service Week? It is designed to raise awareness of customer service and the vital role it plays
within an organisation.
It is also an opportunity to say a big thank you to those who work in customer service for a job well done.
The week runs from the 5th to 11th of October.
http://www.nationalcustomerserviceweek.com/Content.aspx?ID=2 will give you more details of the week.


What do your customers think of your service?
Which members of your staff would your customers nominate for an award?
How would you find out?

Do you think a customer service week is a good idea?
Who would you nominate in your workplace?
Who would you nominate in the places where you purchase / shop?
Who would you nominate in your business network?

Let us know what do you think?