BENEFITS – What the Experts Say
Please take a look at what some of today's leading pundits have to say on the value and necessity of teaching employees how to succeed in delivering excellent customer service.
"A recent Price Waterhouse Coopers Trendsetter Barometer survey backs this up – 87 percent of all the 410 chief executives interviewed singled out "quality of service" as being very important to the growth of their businesses. In addition, 31 percent expect "quality service will produce the single most profitable return for each dollar invested." And excellent customer service can improve the value of each transaction. Businesses that want to continue to grow will appreciate that the technology and human components of customer service are not the areas to be cutting back now."
Chaim Yudkowsky – Chief Information Officer
Testilease Corporation
Published in Small Business Weekly
Without a question, the most commonly overlooked avenue to increased sales – but commonly the most effective – is a company’s decision to invest in the professional training of it’s greatest asset: it’s people. It’s puzzling how many companies are willing to invest in the their infrastructure but don’t view the sales organization as such. Manufacturing companies are willing to invest in their machines, and finance-driven companies in their software programs, but few companies see their people as an asset worthy of investing in. However, cultivating and training a company’s greatest asset – it’s people – can yield outstanding results.
Evidence such as Motorola’s estimate that the company receives a 30 to 1 return for every dollar invested in employee training and Harvard University-Warden Business Schools study that revealed a company’s surest way to profits and productivity is to treat employees as assets to be developed. When contemplating the decision to train their people, companies would be wise to consider the benefits beyond the dollars required. Benefits such as improved morale, greater satisfaction, increased loyalty, reduced turnover, more effective teamwork, increased sales and increased profits."
Roy Chitwood
Chairman of Sales & Marketing Executives International
Author and Consultant. Published in Small Business Weekly
"Customer service today is the one element that can set companies apart from the competition and lay the foundation for a stronger tomorrow. Companies really don’t have much control over products and prices – anyone can duplicate what you’re doing in those areas. Customer service is what distinguishes your company from the competition."
Jerry Fritz – Director of Sales and Customer Service Management
The Executive Education Program in the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin Madison
"Unless absolutely necessary, do not attempt to set your business or product apart from the competition by having the lowest price. It is a recipe for disaster, because an established competitor can afford to drop prices to regain market share and keep them there until you go out of business. Instead, try to differentiate your business or product on the basis of quality, warranty, and above all service. A fervent dedication to customer service (focusing on meeting the needs of your customers in a manner that astonishes them) can positively set your business apart from your competitors."
Scott Clark – Known as "The Company Doctor"
Published in Small Business Weekly
"Big companies spend more money producing and airing ONE 60-second commercial than they will spend on a customer service program in a year. They spend more money on "lip" service than "customer" service. Pathetic. Hard question: How does your service program budget and training budget compare to your advertising budget – or better stated – how does your advertising budget compare to your word-of-mouth advertising budget?"
Jeffrey Gitomer, President
Buy Gitomer
Author of: The Sales Bible and Customer Satisfaction Is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless