Home > News > July 2004 > 20-Jul-2004

Lorien Customer Focus sponsors excellence in customer service

Market research and customer satisfaction specialist, Lorien Customer Focus (LCF) has joined organisations including BUPA, Powergen, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd, Sony UK and Tesco Stores Ltd, in sponsoring one of over 30 awards in this year's National Customer Service Awards (NCSA).

The Awards, organised by Quest Media and run in conjunction with the Institute of Customer Service, are being presented at a ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, on 21st September 2004.

LCF, which has also supplied two judges for the Awards' panel - LCF's director of training, Catherine Walsh, and managing director, Steve Lydall - is sponsoring the 'back office team of the year'.

Lydall commented: "In an era of fast followers and 'me toos', developing employees to deliver exceptional customer service is the only way of achieving differentiation. How you treat your customers has a much greater impact on their satisfaction than the product or service they are buying. So, to achieve and maintain competitive advantage, suppliers need to get closer to their customers

"Traditional differentiators such as price, product attributes and quality are no longer enough. By focusing on the emotional elements of your customers' interactions with your company, you can empathise with them and ensure that they are not just happy customers, but loyal advocates"

LCF has used the results of its market research and customer satisfaction surveys, carried out for clients in a range of sectors, to develop an approach - called 'Customer TouchPoints'.

LCF believes that its Customer TouchPoints programme identifies what customers expect and what exceeds their expectations. By breaking down these interactions using a combination of research methods, proven tools and detailed process analysis, each customer interaction can be compared with customers' expectations.

"The techniques we use allow our clients to focus on the specific areas where improvements are required," said Lydall. "Our solution aligns coaching or training with the TouchPoints identified."

According to LCF, improved customer service skills typically deliver:

• Sustained loyalty and word of mouth referrals
• Simpler and faster customer acquisition
• Improved employee performance
• Increased levels of efficiency
• Increased profitability
• Enhanced brand image
• Enhanced staff morale and retention

"In an industry where there is little to differentiate quality, price and product it is imperative that suppliers identify an alternative source of competitive advantage," said Lydall. "Customer TouchPoints enable organisations to increase their competitive advantage by addressing the expectations of the customer and turning them into advocates for the company."

More from Training Reference

Visit our awards feature for information and news about UK learning, training and development awards.

Training and development books

Discover books on a variety of training and development topics at the Training Reference Bookshop

Source suppliers

Visit the Training Reference Directory to view supplier details for a wide range of courses, products and services.

Sponsored links

Back to top