Customer Service on the High Street
WH Smith and Currys Digital have been been voted the UK's worst shops in a survey by consumer group Which? after a poll of more than 14,000 people by the consumer watchdog. Stores in the top 10 were Apple, cosmetics companies Lush and The Body Shop, John Lewis, Ikea.
If you have ever shopped in any of these stores you will soon notice the difference in staffing levels and quality of staff. If you can't find a member of staff to help you when needed then your experience will be a pretty poor one!
As a customer it seems reasonable to expect that staff have good product knowledge and are good at dealing with people. I was therefore, amazed to see IKEA ranking high in the survey because it seems to me that their once excellent shopping experience has been handed over to a bunch of students who without exception always have something better to do than serve customers.
I used to shop in the Leeds store but don't bother any more. The last time I was there (last October) I managed to separate a student from the herd and ask for help tracking down 'one of those spoon racks on display in the kitchen showroom.' But my enquiries were greeted with a shrug of the shoulders and the lazy response, 'if it's not out, we haven't got any'. There was no chance to ask about alternatives because she immediately beetled off to re-join her friends. I gave up and vowed not to return!
The great thing about that type of personal experience is that it serves to remind me that my customers, the lawyers and employers that we serve, all expect and deserve excellent service. It reminds me that this is one of the ways in which my firm can stand out from its competitors. I want people to say, Employment Law Essentials is an excellent company. They have always treated us with respect, listened to us and been responsive; they deliver great value and we are delighted with the HR Web Service.
But I can't expect my clients to say that unless my team and I work hard at making it happen. You have to live and breathe it. The passion for great customer service has to come from the top and cascade down throughout the entire organisation every day.
Lawyers are much better at customer service these days, I have no doubts about that, but if you want your firm to grow then you will need to put systems with checks and balances in place for ensuring that your vision of great customer service happens whether or not you are in the room.
Back to the poll....Customer satisfaction ranged from 78% for Lakeland and Richer Sounds to 49% for Currys Digital and WH Smith. One take away had a touch of irony in that 'The survey found shoppers were 70% more likely to recommend a shop that was excellent at handling a complaint than one where they had never had a problem'.
The only high street giants to make the top 20 were John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Waterstone's, with the rest made up by specialist stores. This result suggests that smaller organisations are better at customer service and that should be encourgaging for lawyers who will find themselves competing with the High Street chains.
Read the full story from This is London.
Tags: Customer Service, Products & Services, HR Web Service, Relationship Building
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I recently spoke with Lara King of BBC Radio Humberside on the subject of Employment Law. Click on the Play button, above, to hear the interview.