Tips to ensure consistent service quality during the holiday season
CAPE-TOWN, South-Africa, December 15, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The
traditional mad holiday rush is upon us and businesses - especially
those in retail – need to ensure that a high level of service delivery
is maintained and that they are geared to handle the additional
enquiries driven by the sudden upsurge in customers.
Photo Sumesh Rahavendra: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/photos/sumesh_rahavendra.jpg (Sumesh Rahavendra, head of marketing for DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa)
This is according to Sumesh Rahavendra, Head of Marketing for DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa (http://www.dpdhl.com/),
who says that the holiday season puts added pressure on businesses to
deliver consistent service quality, and, if not managed correctly, could
consume valuable time that could have been spent on maximising sales.
Rahavendra
points to recent findings from the business consulting firm Lee
Resources, which indicated that one of the main reasons for customer
unhappiness is bad service delivery. Findings also indicated that 91% of
unhappy customers will also not willingly make use of the service
provider again. He says that to ensure a positive customer experience
with a brand, a robust customer service platform is needed. “Not only
will this ensure that customer needs are met across all touch points but
it will also empower brand representatives to be able to deal with
difficult situations, in an effective manner.”
Rahavendra points to a few key tips to accelerate the customer service experience during the busy holiday period:
Make sure that your employees are emotionally engaged:
The
festive season is not only stressful for consumers, but also for the
employees who are providing the service. An employee who simply smiles
at a customer (face to face or even while interacting telephonically)
can have a significant impact on the customer’s perception of their
experience. This is especially important for businesses that have
sizeable contact centres – A customer should receive friendly and
consistent service quality, irrespective of the representative that they
are dealing with.
Embrace new media:
With
the rise of social media, the customer service experience can either be
amplified or hindered. Business should ensure they have allocated
sufficient time and resources to ensure that social media channels are
monitored throughout the day and response times and query resolutions
should be closely managed. Should a negative issue arise, where
possible, the query should be dealt with offline and with the client
directly. All social queries should however be acknowledged online.
A
number of brands choose to disable posts to their Facebook pages as
there is no control as to what is posted. We believe in transparency and
immediate feedback, so the only content that would be removed is
defamatory or explicit content. Having an active social media presence
is a fantastic way to keep in touch with customers, in real-time, as
they spend much of their time online. It keeps the lines of
communication open and is, most importantly, convenient for customers to
make contact with your brand.
Transparent escalation procedures:
As
the end of the year nears, it adds pressure to the turn-around time
expected for query resolution. Customers should be able to access
various escalation channels easily. In a traditional bricks and mortar
retail space, senior and empowered managers should be on the floor at
all times to diffuse difficult situations immediately. In the online or
corporate space, access to senior managers should be clearly defined so
that customers do not have the added frustration of trying to track down
someone who can assist them.
For
example, we introduced a best in class feature to our website which we
refer to as Straight to the Top (STTT) – This allows the customer to
have access to the whole DHL Express Senior management team up to and
including the Africa regional team that is the Africa Management Board.
It’s all about accessibility and speed of query resolutions.
“Being
insanely customer centric is our mantra as we believe that a customer’s
experience and perception of a brand has significant influence not only
on whether they will become a loyal, repeat customer, but also on how
they promote the company to other potential customers. Great service
quality therefore plays a significant role in a business’s bottom line,”
says Rahavendra.
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Deutsche Post DHL.
Media Contact:
Megan Collinicos. Head: Advertising & Public Relations, Sub-Saharan Africa
DHL Express
Tel +27 21 409 3613 Mobile +27 76 411 8570
DHL – The logistics company for the world
DHL (http://www.dpdhl.com/)
is the global market leader in the logistics and transportation
industry and “The logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its
expertise in international express, national and international parcel
delivery, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation as well as
contract and e-commerce related solutions along the entire supply
chain. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and
territories and around 315,000 employees worldwide offers customers
superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their shipping
and supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by
supporting environmental protection, disaster management and education.
Stock images available: http://www.dpdhl.com/en/media_relations/media_library.html
SOURCE
Deutsche Post DHL
Post a Comment
unashauriwa kutoa maoni muda na wakati wowote na kama unahabari yeyote unaruhusiwa kututumia