The Cost of Customer Service

Many businesses know how important customer service is, but do they execute their customer services properly? Experts are saying that businesses are compromising the quality of their customer service by investing in cheap services rather than professional outsourced call centre options and call companies.
Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Junction said, “You can’t cost-cut your way to top-notch customer service, 2012 is likely to see insurance companies driving down call centre costs in the current climate. But they should be careful to avoid a knee-jerk reaction...There is a way to deliver both on quality and cost-efficiency. While cost is, of course, very important, it is vital not to underestimate the relevance of customer satisfaction.”
Customer service is about so much more than answering calls. It allows you to connect with customers on a human level and reach out to them, answering the enquiries directly and making them feel like you know what you’re doing when it comes to running a business.
Peter Thompson went on to say that in the last ten years, the insurance space has altered considerably. People in today’s society expect so much more than ever before. They want good service and competitive prices. This means that if their standards aren’t met, they’ll go somewhere else which is business you cannot afford to lose. 
The growth of review sites and social networking websites also make it easy for them to share their bad experience with other people, tarnishing your business name in a way which is more damaging than ever before. 
Using a phone answering service would mean that all of your customer service is handled by professionals. You would of course need to invest in a reputable call centre, you can ensure you do this by checking their website, getting references and reading testimonials.  A simple test to check the quality of any prospective call centres is to simply give them a ring, how do you find the service? Do they answer the phone appropriately? Would you be happy if one of your staff answered the phone in that way?
Peter Thompson knows the importance of customer service. He says, “With careful forecasting and use of technology it doesn’t have to cost the earth (to out course a call centre to handle customer service).... a brand dedicated approach means that any issues are usually resolved in a single call, which has a major effect on quality scores as well as sales rates.”
This is an invaluable tool and reliable too. It means you can focus on making sales and following leads, rather than making them. Customers are also more inclined to be loyal when they are treated properly by a business.