Customer service, key to consumer loyalty

A recent study by Accenture found that poor customer service leads to more than half of the users to switch companies, while the vast majority prefer to solve your problems with human beings through digital channels. 

The human factor as an essential aspect in customer service

The study, which measures the experiences and attitudes of consumers globally based on a sample of 24,489 participants, concludes that in the US alone 83 % of consumers prefer to deal with people to solve their service to the point 45% say that they are willing to pay more for better service, while 52 % have changed company in the past year due precisely to a poor customer, which meant estimated 1,600 million a cost Dollars. Moreover, this loss of customers is final in 68% of cases.

“Companies have lost sight of the importance of human interaction and this often makes it too difficult for consumers to get the right level of support and service they need”, says Robert Wollan, senior director of advanced customer strategy at Accenture. Companies wrongly assume that their only digital customers are more profitable and customer service is an expense. Consequently, excess investment in technology and digital channels makes them lose their most profitable customers, multichannel customers who want to experience covering both digital and traditional channels”, he continues. With the data on the table, it is clear that care in customer service is crucial to the smooth running of business, and that they require a substantial improvement that balances the traditional and digital channels.

How to improve customer service

In view of the results of this, companies must find the balance between digital and traditional channels while improving the quality of their services in order to satisfy all types of clientele. To do this, IDC proposes four key policy lines:

1. Betting on integrated experiences that integrate the human factor back to services providing satisfactory customer experiences.
2. Facilitating change channel to customers so that they get the experience they want. 73 % say they want a customer service easier and convenient.
3. Detect and analyze the worst experiences that have a direct impact in terms of profitability, and use this knowledge to redirect a strategy of more effective investment.
4. Ensure the security of personal data, including not giving or selling them to third parties, as for 92 % of customers this is a matter of extreme importance.