Room With A View: What Your Service Desk Gives Out About Your Business

Poor customer service has an impact on your business. And this impact is clear, loud, immediate and long-lasting.

By Richard West, Service Desk Manager, Marval Software

According to the Gartner CEO Survey 2016, CEOs have three top business priorities: Growth, Customers and Workforce; while they are keen to improve customer relationships and satisfaction.

And very rightly so. For most industries, the connections amongst growth, customers and workforce are clear and sound. Business growth is often based on customer satisfaction, which is based on the way people interact with people: how your employees interact with your customers.

Indeed, your customer service plays a pivotal role in the way your customers perceive your brand. A negative experience can bear a long-lasting effect to their perception – and their loyalty. Market reports have showed that:

• It takes up to 12 positive experiences to make up for a negative one (*)
• 78% of consumers have dropped a transaction due to poor customer service (**)
• Since 2009, customers show even less patience for inconsistent service delivery (***)

And that’s exactly where the connection between your people and your business growth lies. While your short-term success may be based on the effectiveness of your sales and marketing teams, your long-term success is definitely based upon the effectiveness of your Service Management team.

Your Service Desk Analysts are more than a group of “techies” answering phone calls and emails. In fact, they are the most on-message people in your organization; the ones who will communicate and reinforce your corporate ethos and values in every single interaction with your customers. They have to be able to endorse your culture and send your customers clear messages:

• That your business cares about its customers
• That each one of your customers is unique and important to the business
• That your organization responds to customers’ requests in a professional, prompt and effective way.

Your Analysts open the window into your business and offer an open view to your organization’s culture and the way it delivers service. And, have no doubt, the way your organization delivers service reflects back to the whole business and gives out your approach and priorities; and your epicentre, which should be your key assets in the path to sustainable growth: your customers and your people.

(*) Newell - Legner

(**) American Express Survey

(***) McKinsey