Measure your customer service performance
Where possible, put systems in place to assess your performance in business areas which significantly affect your customers’ satisfaction levels. Identify Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which reflect how well you’re responding to your customers’ expectations.
Key metrics for measuring customer service
To monitor satisfaction levels, you could track:
sales renewal rates
the number of queries or complaints about your products or services
the number of complaints about your employees
the number of damaged or faulty goods returned
average order-fulfilment times
the number of contacts with a customer each month
the volume of marketing material sent out and responses generated
time taken from order to delivery
Your customers and employees will be useful sources of information about the KPIs which best reflect key customer service areas in your business. Make sure the things you measure are driven not by how your business currently runs, but by how your customers would like to see it run.
Qualitative data
There are important areas of customer service which are more difficult to measure. These involve qualitative information such as customer opinions and feelings. Many of these are human factors such as a receptionist’s telephone manner or a salesperson’s conduct while visiting clients. In these areas it’s crucial that you get feedback from your customers about their thoughts on your customer service.
Useful ways of gauging how your business’ customer service is perceived include:
customer surveys
focus groups
feedback programme
phone calls to key customers