Part 1: Does your business provide a timely and effective response? [BT broadband office]

Part 1: Does your business provide a timely and effective response?

Posted 14 February 2008 at 11:00AM by Graham Jarvis in Email and communications

Customers are more demanding than ever before. They have more choice regarding how they communicate with businesses, the quality and level of service they expect to receive and so on. Companies are required to respond to customer needs in an effective and timely manner.

In recent survey commissioned by BT, it found that customers make no distinction between a large company or a small and medium-sized business (SME). The research found that 41% of the respondents didn't purchase a product or service from an SME in the last 12 months of December 2007, because they were unresponsive to their needs.

Do you remember the last time you had a bad experience as customer with a company? As the study shows, customers aren't very forgiving once they have had one. It is cheaper to keep your customers happy than to try to encourage them to come back.

A staggering 85% of small and medium-sized businesses feel they are losing out to their larger competitors. Less than a quarter of their decision-makers say they have the ability to respond effectively and very quickly to customers. Their employees' opinions beg to differ; they feel that their companies are sufficiently responsive to their organisations' customers.

Do you feel your company provides an effective and timely response to your customers? How do you think organisations can be?

For part 2, which goes on to explore how this can be achieved, visit the BT Cisco community.

Tags: bt, bt cisco, bt tradespace communities, cisco, graham jarvis, unified communications

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Comments

1. At February 14, 2008 9:35 PM, James Phillips wrote:

Its a pity BT doesn't heed its own survey findings. 'In recent survey commissioned by BT, it found that customers make no distinction between a large company or a small and medium-sized business (SME). The research found that 41% of the respondents didn't purchase a product or service from an SME in the last 12 months of December 2007, because they were unresponsive to their needs'.
Its common, when you've rang BT, to be left hanging on the phone for 20 minutes having negotiated the numerous menu options, before a human voice will arrive to talk to you. WHICH, the consumer magazine, says BT is one of the worst performers for customer service. About time then that the biggest communications company in the country got its act together.

2. At February 15, 2008 2:47 PM, Jeremy Cox wrote:

Yes there is a touch of the kettle calling the pot black.

Responsiveness is a function of culture and internal disciplines as much as anything else. These leviathan organisations are still very product centric and frankly fat and happy.

3. At February 15, 2008 5:35 PM, james lyon wrote:

BT are the worst company that I know for replying to emails. Yes you get an automated reply almost immediately saying that BT will get back to you within 48 hours. I have been emailing BT Billing since before Christmas 2007 - Still no reply to my QUERY.

Our orders come from our website and direct by email - We must reply almost immediately to action an order or query. We were taking orders on Christmas day. If we dont take the order immediately somebody else will.

BT need to take a lead from many of is own small company customers.

We live in a 24 hour - 365 day world with customers all over the world. Not 9 to five with an hour for lunch 5 days a week like some BT services.

4. At February 16, 2008 7:59 AM, James Phillips wrote:

The Chairman, Chief Executive and Customer Services Director, as well as the relevant senior managers in BT are all well aware of the high levels of customer dissatisfaction. They're not interested in doing anything about it because as Mr Cox, above, points out - the company is fat and happy! Also, there are no government or financial sanctions available to impose on BT (and other organisations), for poor customer service. Only when it affects them in the pocket, will they change.

5. At February 18, 2008 11:47 AM, Mark Thomson wrote:

In my experience and from smaller scale surveys, I find that customers (including resellers and distributors buying from vendors) often refer to a lack of responsiveness to their needs, but mean a wide variety of things. These can be as diverse as pricing, availability or lack of willingness to create a product or solution to fit a customers exact needs. Sometimes (as with many banks), customers feel there is a general lack of responsiveness and personal touch, however, the perception is that all banks are the same, so inertia sets in. The impact of a perceived lack of responsiveness on future business will depend on many factors including the competitive environment.

BT broadband office