There are also some much more subtle customer service crimes which can still be very damaging and one of these, which I’ve noticed is on the increase is disingenuous communication.  I think this has happened on the back of something very positive – an increase in communication to consumers.  Ten years ago I often felt businesses should do more to explain problems.  People are generally quite sympathetic if there’s a justifiable explanation e.g. “Shop closed” = frustrating, but “Shop closed due to burst water pipe” = sympathy.  This improvement along with a widespread move to more personal, non-passive language (thanks Innocent) has definitely led to better and clearer product and service information.

So where’s the problem?  The problem arises when companies or public service bodies are disingenuous (or sometimes downright untruthful) in their communication. I’ve seen three examples in the past month:

1)     A poster in the window of an estate agent states: “To better serve our customers, we’re merging our Battersea and Lavender Hill offices.” Now, as far as I can tell what is really happening is that the Battersea office is closing.  This leaves a partly subconscious feeling that the company is being deceitful or thinks I’m stupid. This is very brand damaging and, if that view spreads, it is very difficult to correct.  It’s also very difficult to detect in customer feedback because it’s more of a feeling than a tangible problem that can be easily explained.

2)      “Due to excessive numbers of calls at weekends, your call may take longer to answer than normal….your call is important to us.” This message is frustrating on three fronts. Firstly, I feel I’m being blamed for calling, even though I’m only calling because the company has failed to send me something. Secondly, if the company knows it is busy at weekends it should hire more staff.  And thirdly any benefit the company thinks it is deriving from a few people believing their “call is important”, is surely outweighed by the feeling among most that their message is disingenuous.  Actions speak louder than words!

3)     I receive an e-mail from the company that hosts my wife’s website “Your hosting has been upgraded”. The e-mail goes on “We like to reward loyalty so we’ve upgraded your hosting to our up to date package.” I’m cautiously optimistic but suspicious as this company has sent disingenuous communication before. I click on her website and discover that it is not working. Two lengthy calls to a premium rate number later and I’ve vowed never to use the company again. And I’ve yet to work out what advantage there ever was to the consumer in this “upgrade”

These are just a few examples but I think they represent a trend of companies misusing the move towards providing more information to consumers. Consumers are not stupid and the feeling of being deceived brings up very strong human emotions.  So, businesses – tell it straight, be honest and own up if it’s your fault.

That means we build giant obstacle courses up in the trees using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire, and top it all off with the country’s best zip lines.

We then kit people out with harnesses, pulleys and karabiners, give them a 30 minute safety briefing and training and let them loose into the forest canopy, free to swing through the trees. Of course, instructors are always on hand, regularly patrolling the forests (not in monkey suits unfortunately!)

The result is spectacular. The Go Ape experience gets the adrenalin pumping, gets people out of their comfort zones and above all (no pun intended), it’s just great fun.

Find out more and watch people going ape at www.goape.co.uk

Paul Lindley, Ella’s Kitchen

Facebook ‘trolling’ is a term I have only recently come across and it is where an individual leaves negative or derogatory messages on a person or company’s Facebook page.

This can be a big issue on weekends or after working hours for companies as staff don’t and couldn’t possibly monitor our social media 24/7!

So to get round this little problem, Ella’s now “signs off” from Facebook for the weekends and after working hours with a little goodbye.

For example “It’s home time here at Ella’s Barn! Remember, if you’d like to get in touch with our customer care team, pop along to http://www.ellaskitchen.co.uk/contact-us/ “

This has proven a great way of not only limiting trolling but it also lets customers know they might not get a reply during the weekend!

Philip Michell, Vertex

As someone who is always interested in new, creative and positive ways companies can communication and reply to customers – particularly those who may be complaining about a product or service – I was thrilled to see M&S recently go above and beyond for a customer who was overcharged for sandwich.

Bill Bennett wrote a letter demanding a refund after he was overcharged £1.10 for a sandwich at an M&S store. After never receiving the £5 voucher as compensation, he asked for a hand drawn picture of a smiley dinosaur instead.

To his surprise, a customer service adviser at M&S draw a dinosaur and sent it to Bill. The image and exchange soon became a national story and a great piece of PR for M&S. I think the story demonstrates perfectly how there should always be room for humour and a personable angle when communicating with a customer. M&S taught a lot of companies a lesson with that drawing!

Rebecca Mayhew, Go Ape

Press opportunities can happen when you least expect them. Go Ape recently had some excellent accidental coverage though our brilliant staff members who helped rescue a woman’s dog which was being attacked near one of our courses in Southampton.

The woman called Radio 2 a few weeks after the incident and sang the praises of our helpful staff. This shows just the sort of fantastic employees we look to employ at Go Ape and how it can turn into a fantastic press story when you least expect it!

David Hathiramani, A Suit That Fits

A Suit That Fits is always looking for ways to improve its staff satisfaction and customer experience. We’ve recently restructured our bonus system, which is having a fantastic effect on not only our staff but also on the service our customers are experiencing.

The new system now means our employee’s bonuses are based partly on sales and partly on the outstanding customer service they give. This incentive has meant that customer service is better than ever. We’re receiving more and more feedback, which is enabling us to look at trends and customer satisfaction as well as common questions that are reoccurring, which we can now address before they’re asked.

As an outside, independent agency, BlueGlue’s job is to be a company’s personal recruitment department, who provide individual account managers to learn all about a company’s culture and core values, enabling them to help attract and select the right candidates.

To work best with a company, such as LOVEFiLM, BlueGlue ensures:

• Each company has a strong clear message out in the recruitment market so that every potential hire hears the great same messages about a company.
• Candidate attraction and qualification – from attraction to qualification and testing Blue Glue work across multiple mediums to deliver their clients a great shortlist of candidates.
• Have an online web portal to allow a companies to keep track of the entire hiring process – from job authorisation to offer and acceptant. This allows a company to keep control of cost and process.

Top tips for finding a star: Mindset vs. Skill set

The Mindset of a star is the single most important asset to look for when hiring, whether that’s for a large corporate or ten man start up.

Skill set – can be improved, evolved and sometimes transformed – always buy mindset first.

Don’t forget:

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – stars are keen to work with companies that care – a company with a well laid out  CSR policy will always have an advantage.

Candidates are Customers – remember a potential star you interview is either already a customer or a potential new one. The recruitment process they go through will affect their views on your brand – beware the power of the crowd and word of mouth!

Review your recruitment process – think about the process they go through, internally, externally, with your partners. How often does your HR review the process? Always look for ways to update – a company app for staying in touch, offering new roles?

Talent Acquisition

LOVEFiLM work alongside BlueGlue to ensure that any new star fits the LOVEFiLM’s DNA – key attributes of a LOVEFiLM employee that have been agreed to at all levels of the company.

Once an offer has been made LOVEFiLM aim for a fast and stress free turn out – sending the new star a top 1,000 films to see book and information on how to transfer their LOVEFiLM account to a staff account.

A LOVEFiLM induction includes a day working at the warehouse, picking the discs and sending them. This is to help each employee understand the full journey of LOVEFiLM’s physical products. Someone from each department will speak to every new employee – including a Q&A with the CEO, Simon Calver.

For more information on LOVEFILM please visit www.lovefilm.com and for more information on BlueGlue’s work, please visit www.blueglue.co.uk/index.html

OK, so it’s not rocket science to work out that some of the factors that combine to deliver decent customer service are suffering as the economy struggles to stabilise. How easy is it, for example, for businesses to provide a sense of good value for money when overheads are rising and their margins being squeezed? How can staff go the extra mile if they are already being asked to do the work of two people?

Perhaps this is where the no-frills operators are best placed for ‘business as usual’ with consumers accepting that ‘you get what you pay for’ and so will happily sacrifice service for the sake of austerity? However most businesses ARE frills-based and – let’s face it – it’s going to take more than a double-dip recession to persuade most UK consumers to give up all their creature comforts.

With this in mind, new research that Make It Cheaper has just carried out with the Centre for Economic & Business Research sets off the klaxon for customer service standards. It show that rising business costs have forced classic service sectors – such as restaurants, bars and shops – to reduce staff by as much as 34%. And neither have we turned the corner… with 20% of businesses planning further staff cuts over the next 12 months and over half about to put up prices again. Hospitality and retail again top the tables.

We already know that consumers have become more price-sensitive, more likely to shop around, but is this dangerous mixture of circumstances going to make them more service-sensitive as well? Quite possibly… and quite reasonably too.  We see a version of it in our own call centre with businesses calling us for business gas and business electricity prices, not just because they are cheaper but because they don’t want to spend all day navigating IVR systems and listening to hold music.

So what measures can be taken to make sure customers are not tempted to shop around among your competitors? Firstly alleviate the predictable pressure on margins by cutting-out waste and unnecessary overhead costs. Every pound saved translates into a pound of profit made, without having to go looking for any extra revenue. Secondly, simply place a greater emphasis on customer service than any of your rivals. And, if you fear a drop in standards, exchange some goodwill with your customers by explaining to them why it’s happening and that their loyalty in a time of crisis will pay dividends in the long term.

Before setting up World First, Jonathan spent two years as Head of Business Development within the Financial Markets division of RBS. Prior to that he was at Citibank, initially as a trader, before moving to the bank’s global corporate sales desk, and then overseeing the European sales of online FX trading products.

About World First

World First is a foreign exchange company offering individuals and businesses access to better exchange rates and service for their foreign currency needs. The industry has grown out of demand for alternatives to banks over the last 30 years. The UK market has some 150 participants at present.

World First was set up with the aim of making foreign exchange transfers as straightforward, secure and customer friendly as possible. Whether you are buying a house, moving overseas, or you are a company involved in import and export, we work with our clients to find the best exchange rate and the most efficient way to transfer their money overseas.

Our customer focus strategy aims to ensure that there will always be someone available to help when our clients call. And they will always speak to one of the team within a maximum of three rings, because we don’t believe in making people talk to machines.

For more information about World First click here

Reflecting before an annual getaway with my family, my mind is drawn to the opportunities to both enhance customer experiences and secure additional revenue – without customers feeling fleeced.

As a busy individual (aren’t we all these days?), anything that saves me time is of value. Furthermore, time with my family is precious so I want to make the most of every moment.

Therefore, after booking my most recent escape I made the decision to look to add a few extras such as pre-paid parking (taking the opportunity to get the car cleaned at the same time) and the sanctity of lounge at either Birmingham or Faro airport.

Not only was I only partially successful, hunting these down proved surprisingly difficult.

This turned my mind to the challenge many retailers, but few others, seemed to have grasped – that best practice in customer experience needs to be proactive rather than reactive. Make it easy for me and not only am I more likely to buy – I’ll even pay a premium for it!

Executing this isn’t actually that hard – if I’m on your website and I drop out – contact me to find out why; if I’m treating my family to a relaxing break – make me aware of how you can help me start relaxing from the moment I leave my doorstep.

Maybe it’s the fact that multiple “service providers” are involved (the travel agent, the tour organiser, the airline, the airports, the resort…..), but surely that should increase the chance of somewhat actually thinking – “How can we make this even more special?”.

Finally, I wait with excitement to find out on my return (or even during my break) whether anyone actually asks me – “How did we do?”. Feedback is the breakfast of Kings and organisations will only get it if they ask for it!

Philip Michell is Consulting Director, Vertex Data Science Ltd

The secret weapon for customer service in shops is to have ‘Happy Staff’. This is nothing new and only last week I read Queen of Shops, Mary Portas, advocating happiness on the High Street. Our survey respondents said things like: ‘They always give the customer the benefit of the doubt and the staff are happy and well-trained’ and ‘Staff who seem genuinely happy’.

For online retailers, the trump card is to find a way of inspiring customers with ‘Confidence’. I suppose in a world of scams and security breaches it is just as easy to loose someone’s confidence as it is to gain it and so here’s what people highlighted as being important: ‘Good information and very efficient service when anything goes wrong’ – ‘Does exactly what it promises to do’ – ‘Non-intrusive how-to videos’ and ‘Fall over themselves to pay us for sales!’

Finally on to the topic closest to our hearts… call centres. What’s card do their customer service teams have up their sleeves and when do they play it? Well ‘Efficiency’ is the word that keeps coming up again and again. ‘Quickly grasp the issue and are able to resolve it with minimum fuss and without being passed from pillar to post’ – ‘Deal with everything so promptly’ – ‘They do what they say they will do when they say they will do it’ -  ‘Listening skills and their willingness to help without being at all salesy’.

Customer service isn’t rocket science but there is an art to getting it right. And whether you’re consumer or business-facing, there’s no shame in imitating those that have – according to popular opinion – got it right. In fact, you may find that it doesn’t just put you in the pack with your competitors but ahead of it.

Nick Heath is…

Nick Heath, Head of Communications at Make It Cheaper

So I was interested to read an article by James Thompson in the Independent (25^th May 2011) that M&S are planning to segment their stores based on an area’s demographics and affluence, which is the first time they have done such a thing in their 127 year history. From October this year, they will trial various pilot stores, varying the content and store layout according to the local demographic. I think this makes good business sense and as their CEO Marc Bolland said, “it’s not rocket science”. I notice that someone had already commented on the Independent’s website to this story, saying that M&S should offer larger parking spaces for ‘Chelsea tractors’, which I am sure they would take up, if land was not so expensive!

Adapting a product offering to meet the needs of different consumers got me thinking about my own business. Last month a lady emailed me to say how much she loved our Grobag baby sleep bags, but she was a bit disappointed to see only ‘white-skinned’ babies in our latest catalogue. I was able to email her photos of children from previous photo-shoots who were from ethnic backgrounds and explained we were in the lap of the gods as to who responded locally to our pleas for models, but she had a really good point. We already spend a good sum of money on gathering consumer insights about our brand, sleep products and parenting in general, but we will now do more research on what demographics we may be not serving as well as we could be.

I would like to think that any new parent, regardless of skin colour, religion or wealth would be desperate to get a good night’s sleep, but there will be different cultural attitudes to sleep practices. For example in Japan, the Mums sleep in the same bedroom as the child for the first two years, leaving Dad to sleep in a separate room. This is partly to develop a bond or ‘skin-ship’ with the child, but also so that Dad can go to work without being too tired! I consider myself a brave and courageous individual, but I decided not to suggest this idea to my wife for fear of being asked to sleep in a different house . . .  permanently!

On a different tack, our Design team is going to research what other fabrics and surface print designs we could use for our Grobags, in order to reach these new markets. We also currently export to 25 countries around the world, so there is much scope for adapting our products to local tastes, although many of our export partners say they love our ‘English’ style, which is important to keep in mind.

Who knows where this research might lead us? I can visualize a beautiful new Grobag design with amazing flowing Indian fabrics and with any luck it might end up being a best seller. Maybe one day we will supply M&S with Grobags and work together on giving consumers what they want. Now that would be exciting…

Written by Rob Holmes, Managing Director of The Gro Company

The Department for Business today (13.04.11) announced plans to give more power to consumers in their relationships with business. According to the Government the new approach published in Better Choices, Better Deals: Consumers Powering Growth marks a shift away from legislating and announces new ways to help consumers help themselves and challenges business to innovate, which in turn will drive growth in the economy.

Under the new plans announced by Edward Davey businesses will provide key information to their customers on how they use and buy goods and services. This will help people get the best deal possible, and make business more dynamic in response.

Speaking on the new approach Edward Davey said: “This is an important new initiative that will radically change how consumers relate to business. By giving you more power in your relationship with businesses you will be better placed to get the deal you want, and that deal may put a bit of money back in your pocket. This will in turn reward the most competitive and innovative businesses.”

This announcement follows the Government’s “Plan for Growth”, published in March, which they hoped would demonstrates their plans to support economic growth and rebalance the economy.

These recently announcements are extremely timely for the Consumer Forum. We are always looking at ways to engage with Government to ensure the value of customer relations is fully recognised in public policy. We are currently working on some new initiative and proposals that we hope to engage with Government on in the coming months. Watch this space…