Service - Now!
When you’re in line waiting for service, how long is too long?
Studies show that on average, waiting more than three minutes is too long. And customers that wait more than three minutes? There is a strong likelihood that they are dealing with the only available service provider. If customers have choices, they will leave.
This is not good news for providers of service.
How good is your company at providing top-notch customer service? STELLAservice, an online customer service rating company, found that DisneyStore.com ranked among the top ten for both speediest e-mail support (1 hour, 47 minutes, 40 seconds) and phone support (12 seconds). For the full survey, click here.
In addition to speed (or time), customers are also looking for the following qualities in service (source: Evans and Lindsay, The Management and Control of Quality).
Timeliness. Is the service completed on time? For example, is an overnight package delivered overnight?
Completeness. Is everything the customer asked for provided? For example, is a mail order from a catalog company complete when delivered?
Courtesy. How are customers treated by employees? For example, are catalog phone operators at Sears nice and are their voices pleasant?
Consistency. Is the same level of service provided to each customer each time? For example, is your newspaper delivered on time every morning?
Accessibility and convenience. How easy is it to obtain the service? For example, when you call Sears, does the service representative answer quickly?
Accuracy. Is the service preformed right every time? For example, is your bank or credit card statement correct every month?
Responsiveness. How well does the company react to unusual situations (which can happen frequently in a service company)? For example, how well is a telephone operator at Sears able to respond to a customer’s questions about a catalog item not fully described in the catalog?
When working with customers, service providers are in a more precarious situation than are producers of manufactured goods. Because service can be intangible (unlike a product or good that is tangible), it is sometimes hard to know a customer’s expectations. A service’s “fitness for use” is often in the eyes of the customer.
By building quality into every dimension of service, organizations will not only attain excellence in service, but happy and loyal customers – and a healthy bottom line.
