Is leadership the key to unlocking customer service potential?

The Institute of Customer Service released the latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) this morning.?The index has held steady year-on-year at around 76, still at the lowest level for a decade but showing glimmers of improvement over the last quarter.

Factors that show the strongest correlation with customer satisfaction relate to emotional connection, customer ethos, care, openness, transparency and reputation. Our work at Accelerator tells us that a lot of these things are actually shaped by behaviour at leadership level.

For example, the highest-rated UK company is now Timpson, led by the highly-regarded James Timpson. He was awarded the CMI Gold Medal in recognition of ‘remarkable leadership in helping the business to grow, notably through his commitment to a culture of trust and kindness in the company’s approach to recruitment’. ?In another example, we note that, of all the housing associations to have achieved the top grade C1 rating for consumer standards to date, 90% also receive the top G1 grade for governance and leadership. ?

The latest UKCSI report notes that complaint resolution, handling and outcome is the biggest difference between the most and least satisfied customers, with service failures costing UK organisations over ￡7bn a month! Our experience is that genuine empowerment by committed, trusting leaders can make a huge positive difference here, with one client experiencing almost 90% reduction in complaints and 65% reduction in compensation through effective empowerment and training. ??

Leadership is key. Are your leaders playing their part? Let us know if we can help unlock your true service potential.

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