Customer Hyper-sensitivity At An All Time High For Christmas

Dec. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- As retailers approach the country’s second credit crunch Christmas, customers will be increasingly critical and will be less tolerant of receiving poor service than they were in the past, claims customer service expert Derek Bishop, MD of Abeo Consulting.

“Peak times like Christmas are often when broken processes, or inefficient customer handling becomes evident and those that have reviewed their processes and customer experience in light of upcoming and rapidly changing demand will be those who benefit from a good reputation and word of mouth advocacy from customers, particularly during the pre-Christmas rush,” says Bishop.

Bishop’s views are mirrored in recent research by Brand Reputation which revealed that problems with stock availability and pushy, rude staff were the top two shopping peeves for over 800 consumers, whilst a poll on social networking site Ecademy revealed that 45% of shoppers would prefer to buy their Christmas presents online this year.

Bishop believes that those that will win on the customer service front are those that can react effectively and quickly to the changes in customer demand whilst at the same time, being sure to not overstaff, as costs need to be kept under control and margins continue to tighten.

“What is clear is that customers simply don’t have the time, money or inclination to deal with poor levels of service this year. It’s been a difficult few months for many and the last thing they will want to deal with at Christmas is unnecessary stress on the High Street. This will be an interesting period though, as we’ll see which retailers have succeeded at building and sustaining their brand and service levels in recent months and which have focused on find new and innovative ways to ensure their customers have a great experience this year,” says Bishop.

Bishop is recommending that retailers take the following steps this year:
1.   Provide more information, help and support online
2.   Ensure staff are truly focused on serving the customer, not just going through the motions
3.   Ask more questions from customers to gain further insight
4.   Ensure staff are kept fully up to date with offers, promotions

ENDS

Derek Bishop is available for interview by contacting the Media Jems team on 01603 283 503 or 07958 263708. Alternatively, you can email jenna@mediajems.co.uk.