Do You Care?
Have you ever left a shop without buying anything because you felt they did not value you?
I have asked this question of hundreds of people and a large number raise their hand. The crazy flip side is that people are equally enthusiastic in agreeing that they will pay more for good service. And the data backs this up:
A 2019 study by International Council of Shopping Centers found that “73% of consumers say that good customer service encourages them to spend more money than they had originally planned” and “57% of respondents said they would pay more for a particular item or service if they knew they would receive strong service during the shopping journey”
A Forbes 2022 study found very similar results with 58% saying they pay more if they knew they would receive great customer service. (Digging deeper the report also found that a convenient experience had 70% of customers being willing to pay more)
The European 2023 B2B customer service report highlights that “88% of companies now prioritise customer experience in their contact centres.” and “more than two-thirds of companies now compete primarily on the basis of customer experience – up from only 36% in 2010!”
Here’s the rub, as eloquently stated by Theodore Roosevelt, “People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” If you want your customers to have a positive experience, you have to invest in it.
With the increasing pressure to get more done, quicker, and with less people, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that all businesses exist to serve the customer. Have you ever been busy at work and then the phone rang and ‘interrupted’ you? If you get too busy it is easy to relegate the customer to an interrupting inconvenience or a number to process.
The company that serviced our car treated us like this. We stayed because we had 3 years ‘free service’ with the new vehicle. When we first started taking our car there they gave us a questionnaire in which we indicated that this car was the 6th car of this model type that we had owned. They are the regional representative for this brand. After 3 years of being treated like a number, we left as soon as the free service was up. Their service was not bad. It did the job. It just left one feeling unappreciated and unvalued. The team was busy. There was obviously a lot for them to process in their day. I could empathise with them, but the reality was I felt like just another client that had to get processed for the day. One of the low points was taking the car in for a service (because the service light had come on) and 2 weeks later getting a ticket because the WOF had expired. When I took the car in to get its WOF and asked the garage why they did not do the WOF when they did the service, they replied, “You brought it in for a service and that is what we did. If you want a WOF you need to book that in.” The garage we take it to now actually cares and is friendly, caring and proactive.
When companies care you often hear recommendations like, “They are a little more expensive, but it’s worth it.” Invest in service. People will pay for it. It is a point of difference worth striving for.
