JD Power released their list of top 50 2014 Customer Champions. Who are these companies? JD Power looked at over 600 companies across nine industries, focusing on five factors that JD Powers refers to as the “Five P’s”: People, Presentation, Price, Process and Product.
These companies excel in providing outstanding customer service, according to its customers, not only in their industry, but overall. Finbarr O’Neil, President of JD Power, says that “”Not only does satisfaction encourage customer loyalty, but happy customers also become advocates of the brand to others. Particularly given the ability of today’s consumers to easily communicate their experiences far and wide through social media and online reviews, customer advocacy can be critical to a company’s bottom line.”
Companies who achieve this status find that it all starts with hiring – finding the right people to promote a customer centric environment, training the staff to be able to make decisions that allow them to solve customer issues quickly and independently, and providing an environment that promotes longevity in the workplace.
Another key aspect these companies share is listening – listening to both customer and employee feedback to find ways to improve the customer experience.
By employing these standards, companies create satisfied customers who are not only loyal in terms of repeat business, but also for being brand advocates through word of mouth. This is important for companies, especially when it comes to social media and its relevance when it comes to customer experiences. The chart below is from the JD Power study, and shows the percentage of consumers who will be likely to return to a business and recommend it – you can see the stark difference in percentages between those companies on the Champion list and those that are not:
Companies can mirror what the champions do in terms of careful planning from the ground up to ensure that their customer service is top notch. Taking a close look at what these companies do compared to your company’s procedures, making adjustments where needed, is a good first step in focusing on your customers’ overall experience and satisfaction.
