One in three organisations axes customer service training to survive the recession

A third of organisations have slashed customer service training this year, but with Christmas looming it could spell trouble at the tills.

The “slash and burn” approach to cost cutting could damage relationships with customers at a time when competition is fierce and high satisfaction levels are vital to survival. That’s the stark warning issued today by the Institute of Customer Service following its recent poll.

The Institute found 30% of organisations surveyed have cut investment in customer service training and 21% have laid off customer-facing staff in 2009.

That is despite the Institute’s research that companies with a reputation for service excellence and committed frontline staff have a 24% higher net profit margin than same-sector rivals who do not enjoy similar standing, and can achieve 71% more profit per employee.

Jo Causon, the Institute’s chief executive, believes it is dangerous to see training as the place to cut costs because in the current climate there is more competition for customers than ever. In fact Retail Week recently reported that a third of consumers intend to spend less this Christmas than they did last.

Therefore it is those who develop the talents and contributions of all their staff that will motivate their people, improve customer loyalty and boost profits, Jo Causon says that:- “Investing in your people is a key differentiator in business today. An organisation that emphasises customer service, through training and development, goes a long way to retaining staff – which motivates them to satisfy customers.”

The good news from the poll is that one in five organisations increased investment in customer service and a fifth said the recession had no effect on their business plans. And earlier this week Tesco announced plans to invest over £3 million to develop their senior managers and directors through the Tesco Academy during the next 12 months.

Jo Causon:- “Experts predict we are looking at a flat Christmas, particularly in retail, and our advice is to embrace a strong service culture to keep customers satisfied. I applaud Tesco for its investment in training at this time.”

The poll also found only 6% of organisations has cut investment in technology.

Question:-

How has the recession most affected the customer service you offer?

Answers:-

A: (21%) We’ve laid off customer facing staff

B: (30%) We’ve cut investment in customer service training

C: (6%) We’ve cut investment in customer service technology

D: (19%) We've increased our investment in customer service

E: (21%) It's had no effect on our plans

Jo Causon adds:- “Technology can only take you so far in customer service delivery. It is your people who are on the front line and they need to be highly trained and motivated to consistently meet and even exceed a customer’s expectations, with technology working in parallel, so that people, processes and strategy are truly aligned around the whole customer experience.”

Extra information:- The poll was conducted by the Institute of Customer Service among customer service professionals. The results are based on 242 responses between July 2009 and October 2009.

ROAD SAFETY FOR NORTH WEST BRINGS NIGHTMARES TO LIFE THIS HALLOWEEN

AS the nights draw in and autumn/winter festivities get under way the temptation to drink and drive begins to rear its ugly head.

An ongoing issue across the region, Merseyside alone has seen over 171 serious or fatal accidents over the last six years as a direct result of drink driving, with young drivers highlighted as a particularly vulnerable group.

Ongoing engagement from the road safety partnerships across the North West has revealed that young drivers (17 to 35 year olds) often consider their worst nightmare to be killing a friend or partner through drink driving, so with this in mind Road Safety for North West (RSFNW) has launched an innovative campaign, ‘MY WORST NIGHTMARE’, to tackle the issue.

In partnership with Odeon, RSFNW will be hosting three events across Halloween weekend. Each region (Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire) will show exclusive screenings of classic horror films including; Carrie, Night of the Living Dead and Poltergeist 2 at Manchester Trafford Centre, Preston and Liverpool One cinemas respectively.

The events will also show a never before seen, ‘banned in the UK’ road safety trailer, guaranteed to shock even the most devout horror fan.

Tickets for the event will cost only £2 with all proceeds going towards the North West Air Ambulance, a charity on the front line of traffic collisions across the region.

Emma Kelly communications manager at Merseyside Road Safety Partnership said:- “The partnerships works tirelessly throughout the year to combat drink driving, however the national drink driving campaigns mainly focus around the summer and Christmas periods. We want to highlight that drink driving is an all year round issue, compounded by the dark nights. Hosting events such as these will allow us to engage with this audience in a way that not only appeals to them but also encourages them to have an open dialogue with us.”

One of the key messages of the campaign is the severity of the punishments associated with drink driving.

Emma Kelly continued:- “Offenders caught drink driving face at least a year driving ban, a fine of up to five thousand pounds, a criminal record and up to six months in prison, not to mention the potential loss of a job and difficulty getting car insurance in the future. None of this, however, compares to the irreparable damage felt by the families and victims involved in a drink driving collision.”

To spread the word as far as possible, RSFNW has developed an event microsite:- myworstnightmare.net. A specially designed Twitter feed, Facebook page and YouTube channel has been also set-up to engage directly with the target audience.

RSFNW is also giving budding actors the chance to win a private registration plate, courtesy of the DVLA, through the event microsite. Competition goers simply film themselves saying the iconic line from ‘The Shining’, “Here’s Johnny”, and email it to:- myworstnightmare@tangerinepr.com. The best five in each region will then be shown on the big screen for the audience to decide the winner.

ASSAULT : DESTINATION BAR , CORONATION WALK, SOUTHPORT

MERSEYSIDE Police are appealing for information following an incident at Destination Bar, Coronation Walk, Southport, during the early hours of Saturday, 17 October 2009.

At around 05.50am Police were called to the bar where a 24 year old local man was found with serious head injuries. He was taken to hospital where his condition is described as critical.

A 32 year old man from Liverpool has been arrested on suspicion of assault and will be interviewed later today.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to contact them at the incident room, Southport Police Station on:- 0151 777 3460, or Crimestoppers:- 0800 555 111.