When you think of “quality,” do you think of customer service? I certainly do. The customer service department is often our first—and only—contact with a company, whether it’s our Internet provider or retail outlet.
And yet, customer service is not always seen as a “quality” issue, at least according to ASQ’s recent customer service survey. We polled more than 600 quality and customer service respondents around the world, and the results were similar: Managing customer expectations and communicating with customers is challenging, no matter where you’re located.
We also found that companies don’t consider customer service as a top priority—as opposed to product development, IT, and marketing.
The survey addresses possible solutions—such as setting up a rapid response team, systematizing replies to customer complaints, changing the focus from short-term transactions to long-term relationships. What do you think is the role of quality—whether the “big Q” or the “little q”—in customer service?
There is much to be learned from the feedback obtained from a customer service department. Complaints, what customers struggle to understand or do, customer expectations, etc can all help you develop your product / service. The information can be used to inform product / service development and the focus of marketing. To overlook feedback from customer services is to leave a valuable information source untapped.
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