We all know what great customer service looks like because we’re all customers.
Having an unexpectedly good experience with a company or brand (even if it’s in response to a complaint) can leave a long lasting impression, and you don’t have to be a marketing expert to know it’s a great strategy for winning repeat business.
According to the Institute of Customer Service, those companies delivering exemplary service are indeed reaping the rewards with increased market share.
The organisation’s UK Customer Satisfaction Index shows the top rated companies for customer care, and monitors change year-on-year. Here we take a look at this year’s top 5, and some of the initiatives that make these businesses stand out.
How could your events improve customer service in 2017? Read on for inspiration.
Related: Take these 5 steps to be more customer centric
- Amazon UK
Offering unlimited next day delivery at no extra cost, Amazon’s Prime service has been an important factor in helping the company ascend to the top spot for customer satisfaction. As well as speedy delivery, Amazon Prime (an annual subscription service costing £79) has been expanded to encompass a video and music streaming service and access to the Kindle Lending Library – meaning customers can instantly access the latest films, albums and books.
To make Amazon Prime even more customer-friendly, the online giant is currently testing a more affordable monthly subscription costing £7.99, with the option to cancel at any time.
What’s more, through Amazon’s Prime Now app, London customers can enjoy even greater convenience with one-hour delivery of more than 7,000 products from select local shops. Items available include cosmetics from John Bell & Croyden – pharmacists to Her Majesty The Queen – and fine wines and spirits from Spirited Wines. Amazon hopes to expand the initiative to more areas and more shops in future.
Meanwhile, delivery by drone could mean speedier dispatches across the country. In July the company announced a partnership with the UK Civil Aviation Authority to test drone technology.
Takeway: Customers don’t want to be kept waiting. When they’ve made a decision to buy from or work with you, act as fast as you can. The quicker you can respond, the more valued your customer will feel. So for example, don’t make them send in a booking form via fax, or email you for prices. Make it super simple for them to buy a ticket to your event online and on mobile, or you may well lose their business completely.
- Wilko
Discount homewares and hardware store Wilko (formerly Wilkinson) rose from 45th place in 2015’s Customer Satisfaction Index to 2nd in 2016. The retailer has seen a turnaround in its profits too, chalking up £23.6 million after a difficult few years.
Wilko faced stiff competition from the likes of Lidl, Aldi and Poundland, but overhauled its supply chain by creating a sourcing team in Hong Kong. This enabled it to better fulfil its core offering of providing quality branded products at cut prices.
The business has remained family-owned and places strong focus on customer service. Prospective staff are asked to give examples of good customer service they have received during the interview process.
Takeaway: Be clear about your offering and ensure you meet (or better still, exceed) customer expectations. If you promise the most competitive prices, for example, make sure you’re not undersold by events offering the same value proposition, so you can build trust with your attendees. Of course there is always space in the market for premium offerings, but if you’re positioned as low-cost, then that’s what you need to be, without sacrificing customer service.
- Waitrose
Waitrose has long been a leader for customer service, largely thanks to its highly engaged workforce. The grocer incentivises staff to give their very best by making them ‘partners’ in the business and letting them share in the group’s annual bonus.
It also ensures adequate staffing levels so customers never have to wait in long queues to check out. Each Christmas it takes on an additional 5,000 temporary staff to guarantee service levels over the busy festive period. Around half of these temporary employees are previous employees, already familiar with the business, returning from university over the Christmas holidays.
Additionally, Waitrose realises that online customer service is as important as offline, and makes sure enquiries and complaints received on social media are responded to quickly.
In a mystery shopping exercise that scored major grocery retailers for the speed, quality and friendliness of their responses on Twitter, Waitrose came top. Waitrose responded to 92% of tweets with an average response time of one hour and 10 minutes.
Takeway: Deal with customer enquiries swiftly and efficiently. Make sure you always have someone on hand to answer the phone or reply to messages. Ensuring your customers feel listened to will help protect your online reputation. And make sure you have enough staff onsite to help with directing people to where they need to go, or answering their questions. Long queues to get in don’t usually equate to a great customer experience.
- Jaguar Land Rover
Although it’s a premium brand with highly regarded vehicles, Jaguar Land Rover hasn’t always been so successful in the customer service stakes. Indeed, it was ranked just 57th in last year’s Index, so it’s come a long way in a short time.
To change public perception, the automotive manufacturer and its dealers invested heavily in developing a consistent brand image across the network.
The overhaul, which is currently underway, includes standardising dealership buildings, giving them a distinctive look and making them a ‘destination’ for customers.
The new showrooms have free Wi-Fi, lounge-style waiting areas with refreshments, drive-in servicing facilities, longer opening hours, indoor vehicle handovers and virtual reality technology.
In addition, apprenticeship and training schemes also form a big part of the overhaul, and JLR’s managing director has pledged to personally review every single dealer business plan before giving it the green light.
Takeaway: Consistency is important – your customers should always know what to expect whichever event they are attending. Make sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet and your different events always deliver a high level of customer service.
- Nationwide
Nationwide, Britain’s biggest building society prides itself on being run for the benefit of its members. To that end, it is one of the few financial institutions to commit to providing banking services in small towns. It intends to open branches in places across the country that have lost their high street banks, starting with Glastonbury.
Nationwide has stated that even small branches should offer the “very best” customer service, offered through a combination of on-site staff and off-site support via the latest technology.
This includes Nationwide NOW, the society’s high definition video link, connecting customers in branch with Nationwide financial consultants around the country.
The facility allows customers to complete mortgage applications and attend financial planning appointments at a time that suits them, without having to wait for an in-branch consultation.
Another initiative, SignVideo Live, will enable customers who are deaf and hard of hearing to access a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter through video. From here, the interpreter will connect the customer to the customer services helpline, relaying the call live like any regular call.
Takeaway: Show appreciation of all your customers and go out of your way to be inclusive. Event organisers that demonstrates strong ethics and put people before profits will always be loved by their customers.
Related: 5 Great tools to help you really know your customers
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, these companies are all working hard to improve customer experience, but it doesn’t mean they never get a complaint.
In fact, data shows that excellent complaint handling can lead to higher overall customer satisfaction, so if you mess up, just be sure to make up for it!
Good and bad customer service experiences stay with us. What’s the best/worst you’ve had?
