Home > News > February 2004 > 09-Feb-2004

Firms opt for 'processes', while their customers want 'people', says survey

Organisations believe that they are more likely to retain customers by investing in technology, rather than in people; while customers are looking for the 'human touch'.

These findings are the result of an online survey investigating whether employee satisfaction influences customer satisfaction, carried out by the market research and training consultancy, Lorien Customer Focus (LCF).

Eighty per cent of suppliers agreed that they are 'more likely to retain customers by investing in technology rather than people'. However, the most important attributes that suppliers felt would lead them to win new customers or retain existing ones are 'attitude of staff' and 'product reliability'.

While every 'customer' polled agreed that a 'product/service problem can be overcome with excellent customer service', they were divided over what would attract them to trying a new supplier. Attitude of staff and product reliability were rated significantly more important than 'value for money', 'knowledge of customer facing staff' and an organisation's 'complaints procedure'.

Commenting on the results, Steve Lydall, LCF's managing director, said: "Although the results highlight the importance of staff delivering a positive customer experience, suppliers and customers interpret this differently.

"Suppliers emphasise the process of delivering to the customer, while customers stress the human side of the purchasing process. They are asking that suppliers' staff are easily available, listen to customers' needs and are more flexible in their response.

"Hopefully, there can by synergy between these two views," he continued. "However, developing a policy and process that 'no customer is left waiting for more than 30 seconds' creates a culture where activity is skewed to ensure - legitimately or not - that this target is achieved.

"The only way to achieve successful customer service is to remind staff of their role in supporting the organisation's overall objectives. It's a case of telling them why they are doing tasks, rather than merely how to do the tasks."

LCF's director of training, Catherine Walsh, added: "The Learning and Skills Council report 'Skills in England 2002', published in January 2003, identifies customer handling and communication as the skills that are most sought after and the hardest to find. 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 is offering to help organisations improve their levels of customer service through its 'Customer TouchPoints' approach. This approach is based on the results of LCF's numerous market research and customer satisfaction surveys, carried out for a number of clients in the automotive, finance, IT, retail, utilities, manufacturing, transport and telecommunications sectors, as well as the public sector.

"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," Lydall stated. "Customer TouchPoints enable organisations to increase their competitive advantage by addressing the expectations of the customer and turning them into advocates for the company."

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