News: Customer Service/Care
61% 'could improve with customer service training'
17 February 2009
More than three in five companies believe they could improve their customer service performance with additional resources, potentially including training.
Figures from Cisco's Customer Kings 2009 Report reveal that 57 per cent of UK businesses have implemented measures this year to improve consumer relationships.
It finds 88 per cent believe the "personal touch" of customer service plays a key role in sales, while three quarters say the attitude of staff members generates this.
Bernadette Wightman, the head of small and medium-sized enterprises at Cisco UK and Ireland, claims there is a divide between businesses over the importance of face-to-face consumer care versus the internet.
She states: "It is important the businesses achieve a happy balance between the two, a mix of traditional values and technology that can help them do business smarter."
Moira Clark, director of the Henley Centre for Customer Management at the University of Reading, recently told the Times customer service training plays an essential part in retaining front-line staff enthusiasm.
