The recent Institute of Customer Service Conference provided the perfect opportunity to bring the industry together to share best practice, highlight strengths and look to the future. The event’s theme “Reflect, Refocus, Reignite” perfectly summed up what companies and organisations really need to do during these challenging times, as our report explains....
Consumers are constantly undergoing new experiences, but very few leave a lasting impression, with only those that are truly memorable remaining in our brains. These tend to be experiences that drive strong emotions – either of delight or anger. This is particularly true when it comes to the experience consumers receive from brands, with the majority quickly forgotten.
In today’s fast changing world consumer expectations are continually rising. This means that delivering the right levels of customer satisfaction is a journey not a destination. Companies have to keep investing in improving the service and experience they offer if consumers are to remain satisfied. It seems that these investments are beginning to pay off...
Being able to deliver a superior customer experience can potentially transform your company’s business. It can help to differentiate you from competitors, increase customer loyalty and ultimately help to drive sales and boost revenues. So how do you go from being a customer service laggard to achieving a leadership position – and then ensuring you remain there?
Every six months the Institute of Customer Service publishes its UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). Run since 2008, the UKCSI both provides a snapshot of current performance by organizations across the country, and allows longer term trends to be measured. The latest index has just been released and is based on over 39,000 responses from more than 10,000 people, cover...
The Institute of Customer Service’s latest six monthly UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) reveals the lowest figures since 2010 – and marks the fourth consecutive fall in customer satisfaction levels.The overall Index fell from 76.3 in July 2014 to 76.0 in January 2015 – in January 2013 it was 78.2. No fewer than 58% of the organisations (113 brands) in UKCSI have seen their ...
We’re now well into the Christmas shopping season, with Cyber Monday behind us and both retailers and analysts releasing their first figures for sales. This seems to show a strong start for many retailers, helped by promotions around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. John Lewis said online sales for the week ending 30 November were 35.7% higher than last year, while ChannelAdvisor reported that...
Corporate reputation is a key component of the customer experience. That’s one of the key findings of the latest Nunwood research into the experience and service offered by UK businesses. The study, which is based on ratings by 7,500 customers on over 250 brands, aims to record customer satisfaction and its influence on future behaviour, such as loyalty and advocacy.Businesses that have suff...
There are many similarities between banks and retailers. Both sectors have large, geographically spread branch/shop networks, and in many cases are facing the same challenge of balancing online and offline channels to meet changing consumer needs.As part of their strategy retailers have aggressively been moving into new markets – offering everything from insurance, bank accounts and telecoms...
Competition is increasingly tough in the retail sector, with the last few weeks having seen the likes of Clinton Cards going into administration. With spending down, consumers want to maximise how far their money goes – but good service is also central to the experience and retaining their custom.So new research from Which? will make worrying reading for some hard-pressed retailers. It surve...