When you think of “quality,” do you think of customer service? I certainly do. The customer service department is often our first—and only—contact with a company, whether it’s our Internet provider or retail outlet.
And yet, customer service is not always seen as a “quality” issue, at least according to ASQ’s recent customer service survey. We polled more than 600 quality and customer service respondents around the world, and the results were similar: Managing customer expectations and communicating with customers is challenging, no matter where you’re located.
We also found that companies don’t consider customer service as a top priority—as opposed to product development, IT, and marketing.
The survey addresses possible solutions—such as setting up a rapid response team, systematizing replies to customer complaints, changing the focus from short-term transactions to long-term relationships. What do you think is the role of quality—whether the “big Q” or the “little q”—in customer service?
