Customer service mistakes cost Australian businesses | Pharmacy ...

Fundamental customer service mistakes could be costing Australian businesses millions of dollars in lost revenue, research shows.

Data released by Australian consumer research company, Mystery Customer, which conducts thousands of mystery shopping visits annually across a range of industry sectors, found that whilst many business owners liked to think that they were providing good customer service, what customers actually experienced left a lot to be desired.

Robert Jarmyn, Mystery Customer sales and marketing director, said it was surprising how many businesses failed in one or more basic customer service criteria.

Key areas where businesses fell down on their customer service delivery included:

• Failing to acknowledge the customers presence.
• Not listening to the customer?s needs.
• Poor product knowledge.
• Lack of recognition of customer loyalty program membership.
• Inconsistent application of company policy and procedures.

?It is vital that frontline service staff engage with customers in a meaningful way to gain their custom,? Mr Jarmyn said.

An American Express online survey, ?2012 Global Customer Service Barometer,? which included Australian consumers showed customers will spend nine per cent more with a business when they receive good customer service.

Eighty-one per cent of customers were also more likely to become repeat customers when they received good customer service.

In Australia, 40 per cent of consumers reported that customer service experiences in general missed their expectations.

Across all markets, when it came to simple enquiries such as locating a product or checking an account balance, consumers preferred channel was through the company?s website or email.

In Australia, 37 per cent of consumers rated company website or email as their preferred channel for a simple enquiry over other channels including speaking with a ?real? person on the phone, using an automated voice response system on the phone, or face-to-face.

The survey involved a random sample of over 11,000 consumers aged 18 and over from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, UK, and the US.

Fundamental customer service mistakes could be costing Australian businesses millions of dollars in lost revenue, research shows.
Data released by Australian consumer research company, Mystery Customer, which conducts thousands of mystery shopping visits annually across a range of industry sectors, found that whilst many business owners liked to think that they were providing good customer service, what customers actually experienced left a lot to be desired.
Robert Jarmyn, Mystery Customer sales and marketing director, said it was surprising how many businesses failed in one or more basic customer service criteria.
Key areas where businesses fell down on their customer service delivery included:

• Failing to acknowledge the customers presence.
• Not listening to the customer?s needs.
• Poor product knowledge.
• Lack of recognition of customer loyalty program membership.
• Inconsistent application of...

Source: http://www.pharmacynews.com.au/news/latest-news/customer-service-mistakes-cost-australian-business

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