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The Customer Service Halls of Fame and Shame
For the last six years, MSN Money has published a Customer Service Hall of FAME and also a Hall of SHAME. In conjunction with JZ Analytics, they asked consumers to share how satisfied they were with recent interactions among some of the largest companies in the United States. The 2012 lists:
2012 Hall of SHAME
Bank of America
AOL
Com Cast
Time Warner Cable
Dish
Sprint
Wells Fargo
JP Morgan Chase
Citigroup
Capital One
2012 Hall of FAME
Amazon
Apple
UPS
Sony
Hilton
FedEx
Marriott International
American Express
Southwest Airlines
Banks, credit card companies and cable companies obviously need to work on their customer service. Interestingly, MSN says that the overall scores are higher this year. This is consistent with the more positive sentiment among consumers noted in the American Customer Satisfaction Index which measures all industries. They attribute this positive shift to the recession as companies are putting more pressure on employees to provide better service with a threat of losing their jobs.
The top companies in the Hall of FAME demonstrate a strong commitment to service that is woven into the DNA of the organization. MSN cites three things that are common among all these top performers:
What struck me about these two lists isn’t the industries represented as much as it is the products/services they offer. The “shame” list is populated entirely by companies that offer an enormous range of options and packages. They don’t let their customers know exactly what to expect from them – unless it’s confusion – and confused customers won’t consider customer service to be pleasant even if the company is providing it by the book. Now look at the “fame” list. When you think of those companies, you know exactly what it is that they do. Their customers know what to expect and aren’t nearly as likely to be upset when told that their request can’t be accommodated.
Exceptional customer service doesn’t just happen. It must be intentional and part of an entire corporate culture. There are three things we can learn from the Customer Service Halls of FAME and SHAME: 1) Let your customers know exactly what it is that you provide – and what you don’t provide. Avoid overwhelming them with options. 2) Don't try to guess which list you fall in - use a third party to measure your customer service and work to continually improve your ratings, and 3) If your ratings aren't as high as you would like them to be, invest in a regular training program that will equip your employees with the tools they need to deliver world-class customer service.
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