Report Charts how Companies can fix Customer Service Failings

A third of UK employees believe managers ignore advice to improve customer service and only a quarter of senior staff lead by example, research supported by Osborne has revealed.

The report, ‘Leading by Example’ produced by the Institute of Customer Service, also found only 31 per cent of employees rate their directors highly for honesty and 28 per cent for trustworthiness.
The report, for which Nick Sterling, Managing Director of Osborne Property Services was interviewed as a business leader, outlined seven areas in which UK organisations could improve their leadership on customer service.
These include: linking personal and organisational values; strategic commitment; communication and engagement; recruitment and training; insight and innovation.

Nick said: “The research was based on interviews with 30 senior business leaders from organisations including Dell, Gatwick Airport and First Direct. It also surveyed more than 600 customer service staff. While there is much good work out there, this research found a clear gap between employees and senior leaders which needs urgent attention.”
The report highlights the need for organisations to have a diverse mix of employees and to ensure there is customer service experience on the board.
Nick added that OPSL has already focused on these areas in recent years and has seen a marked improvement in its customer satisfaction scores as a result. The most recent assessment by the Institute of Customer Service, gave OPSL a score of 82.25 out of 100 – an increase of 25 points in the past two years.

The separate UK Customer Satisfaction Index, compiled by the Institute, shows overall UK customer satisfaction levels at their lowest since July 2010, at 76 out of 100.

Jo Causon, Chief Executive of the Institute of Customer Service, said: “I believe there needs to be a new language of customer service which emphasises its impact on business performance, risk and reputation. We are entering a new era of moral governance in which leaders have a critical role – balancing high-performance with building trust and doing the right thing for customers and employees.”

The report, ‘Leading by Example’, is available on the Institute of Customer Service website at www.instituteofcustomerservice.com