Keeping Customer Service Simple This February

Did you know that the play ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ is the only Shakespeare play that mentions February? But what does this have to do with customer service?

Meaning ‘A great deal of fuss over nothing of importance’, the quote amplifies the rising volume of marketing messages isn’t empowering—it’s overwhelming. Rather than pulling customers into the fold, marketers are pushing them away with relentless and ill-conceived efforts to engage.

As we step into the shortest month of the year, we took a look at a study by Harvard Business Review found that what consumers want from marketers is, simply, simplicity. They found that given the rapid expansion of social and mobile technologies, marketers will have ever-increasing opportunities to bombard consumers. And if history is any guide, that’s exactly what they’ll do. But in their aggressive efforts to engage with their customers, they’ll only make the decision journey more complex and confusing. Marketers who focus on simplifying consumers’ decision making will rise above the din, and their customers will stick by them as a result.

Here, eMarketer published an article supporting this theory in How to Win at Customer Service: Keep It Simple.

‘Nearly nine in 10 internet users worldwide believe that good service makes them feel more positive about brands, according to an Ovum and Opinium Research study. For marketers, the question is what makes customer service “good” enough to drive this result.

While 81% of respondents replied that they are only looking to have their questions answered—which implies quite a low bar to reach for adequate customer service—there are still ways for companies to stand out.

When asked why a recent positive experience with a company stood out, 46% of internet users responded that they felt their request was dealt with quickly. Another 30% said customer service had understood their issue and history. A picture emerges: Many internet users seem to be looking for simplicity, directness and speed.

So what actions do internet users take after a positive experience with customer service? More than six in 10 (61%) alert friends and family to the experience, and 38% of respondents write a positive review about the experience.

Only 15% of those surveyed said they would do nothing in response to a good experience, so it’s clear that positive customer service is important to internet users worldwide.

Digital customer service options have taken off, with web and social media options nearly as common as telephone. But mobile and social usage of customer service is low, and uptake of some newer customer service channels has been slow on the consumer side.’

An article in Forbes, Complexity Kills: Keeping Customer Service Simple stated when asked for a single-word answer to the question of why service levels are so grim, we offer this: complexity.

‘Operational complexity is a pervasive problem in service industries. It makes it hard for employees to do the things your customers value most, such as responding with compassion and precision. And it’s the type of challenge that’s often difficult to see when you’re in the middle of it, even as it’s crippling your ability to excel.’

So as we can see, even back in 1592, Shakespeare was onto something after all! Need help in simplifying your customer service? Let BARE International provide you with immediate, actionable feedback through customer experience research like no other.