PrintEmail

Better customer service is often seen as the answer for service businesses seeking a point-of-difference, especially where there are limited opportunities to perform the work itself in a different way.

Whether it is a business-to-business, consumer, or professional service, the customer or client can regard the service itself as a commodity.

In these circumstances, the relationship the customer or client enjoys with the service provider becomes the distinguishing element.

Most service business owners readily accept this hypothesis. However, some come unstuck when they confuse their service (i.e. product) with customer service (communication and relationships).

In numerous perception research projects for service businesses, I have found the majority of customer or client relationship problems are in the area of communication.

Respondents with negative perceptions report their calls are not returned promptly, work takes longer than expected, and invoices often come as unpleasant surprises. Significantly, these respondents are usually in the "lapsed clients" category.

Paradoxically, they usually have no complaints about the work itself, often acknowledging a consistently high standard.

In many cases, business to business, consumer, and professional service businesses focus on getting the work done - to the exclusion of keeping the customer/client up-to-date with progress. They see the standard of their work as the area which provides the real value to their customer or client.

However, their clients and customers see it differently. They don't usually have a problem with the work, often accepting without question the professional competence of the service provider.

But high-quality work counts for little in the face of unexplained charges, unreturned calls, and delayed outcomes.

Almost without exception, lapsed clients and customers say they would have continued to support the business if there was adequate communication.

Respondents often say they might have been happy to pay an additional charge if it was explained prior to being incurred; they would accept delays if they were kept up-to-date with progress; but they expect the courtesy of their calls being returned promptly.

In the area of customer or client perceptions there's a saying: "Lack of information never stopped anyone holding an opinion". Lack of communication, however, almost always results in an opinion being formed.

Some businesses avoid communicating and assume doing so will have no effect. This can be a dangerous assumption.

The customer or client will make his or her own assumptions - inefficiency, incompetence, or disinterest. Whether they take their business elsewhere will depend on how often those perceptions are reinforced.

Of course the business may not be inefficient, incompetent, or disinterested - just busy. But without communication, how is the customer/client to know?

Ironically, the source of many problems is often a customer or client failure to communicate expectations, especially expectations for communication.

This extends to their perceptions of problems and their causes. It is not unusual for businesses to be unaware of the real reasons for lost business until perception research is conducted.