CDC SOFTWARE PROVIDES “NEXT DAY” COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS AS REGULATORS GET TOUGH ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
Respond as a Service set-up and supporting customer service excellence in less than 24 hours
11 May 2012: Respond, the market leading customer complaints management platform from CDC Software, is now available as a service following demand from retailers, banks, travel companies and service provider businesses for a “next day” solution.
Operational in less than 24 hours, the Software as a Service deployment option of Respond provides the same functionality and business benefits as the time proven on-premise version. Over 800 customer-facing and often highly regulated businesses have relied on Respond for customer complaints management for over 20 years.
“Demand for Respond as a service is high from both existing and new customers. For existing clients it provides a quick an easy upgrade path to Respond Version 5, an essential tool for regulatory reporting, and quick-fire expansion of user numbers,” explained Mark Chambers, Head of Solution Consulting at CDC Software.
“For new customers, the ability to have a proven customer complaints management system set-up in less than 24 hours is compelling and business changing, especially as both consumers and regulators are demanding customer service excellence,” continued Mark Chambers.
Respond as a Service has been extensively tested and piloted over the last 12 months. Tests included independent security and penetration assessments and service delivery processes.
Feedback from Respond customers conclusively demonstrated administrative efficiency gains within days of the application going live. The most immediate being the ability to greatly reduce the time it takes to register, file and resolve a complaint. These processes are now instantly automated, centralised and linked to workflows that ensure the most effective route to resolution is achieved.
Longer term benefits include automated customer correspondence; scheduled daily or weekly management status reports; regulatory compliance reports; integration with other customer databases via open APIs and the ability to analyse the stored data to establish the root cause of complaints and service issues so these can be put right before creating widespread concerns.
“Under the pressure of business growth and regulatory changes, manual complaints management processes are no longer reliable or cost effective. Purchasing Respond as an on-demand application, rather than a capital investment means businesses can have a fully functioning complaints management system in hours, without impacting IT budgets and internal IT resources,” explained Mark Chambers of CDC Software.
Billing for Respond as a Service is flexible. This makes the on-demand application ideal for businesses faced with sudden or seasonal increases in customer complaints or enquiries. It also offers businesses the same tools as their larger competitors, without the time and cost commitment of purchasing and maintaining the supporting IT infrastructure.
Alternatively, businesses that are looking to manage temporary peaks in customer complaints, for example those managing huge volumes of PPI claims would be ideal candidates for Respond as a Service. Whilst many of these customers are facing pressure from the industry regulators to improve customer complaints management or face fines and potential product recalls, others have accepted that a cultural shift back to customer service excellence is needed if their businesses are to prosper and a review of processes is required.
“Respond as a Service offers businesses an alternative deployment option. It is set-up in less than 24 hours and requires minimal IT skills at the customer end. User training is included in the hosting agreement and there is a range of online tutorials and support guides to ensure maximum benefit is had from the application,” concluded Mark Chambers of CDC Software.
Respond as a Service is managed by CDC Software and hosted by an industry-leading hosting provider. Advanced monitoring systems guarantee service and each customer’s database is partitioned to ensure security.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Currently, Respond is offering a 15 month contract for the price of 12 months for customers looking to go live with Respond as a Service before 1 October 2012.
About Respond
Respond provides customer complaints management excellence and regulatory compliance assurance for all customer-facing businesses and organisations. For more information: visit http://www.welovecustomerfeedback.com or Twitter @cdcrespondmark.
About CDC Software CDC Software is a global provider of enterprise software for on-premise and cloud deployments. Leveraging a service-oriented architecture (SOA), CDC Software offers multiple delivery options for their solutions including on-premise, hosted, cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) or blended-hybrid deployment offerings. CDC Software’s solutions include enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing operations management, enterprise manufacturing intelligence, supply chain management (demand management, order management and warehouse and transportation management), global trade management, e-Commerce, human capital management, customer relationship management (CRM), complaint management and aged care solutions. CDC Software delivers innovative and industry-specific solutions to approximately 10,000 customers worldwide within the manufacturing, distribution, transportation, retail, government, real estate, financial services, health care, and not-for-profit industries. For more information, please visit www.cdcsoftware.com.
Press contact Caroline Howlett / Nicky Feakes
Strategic Public Relations 01494 434434 cdc@strategicpr.net @strategicpr
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Customer Service Survey – Are utitlities companies looking after you?
We are conducting a quick survey on behalf of a client and hoped you might spare five minutes to click on the link and complete the survey.
The findings of this research will be used to prove to gas, electricity and water businesses in the UK that there needs to be a cultural change towards fair and efficient customer service, a change that would positively impact us all.
If you could share …the link / forward it to your own contacts we would really appreciate it.
Thanks!
Caroline
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/utilitiesfeedback
Hosepipe Ban Could Cost Water Companies £792 Million as in-bound Customer Calls Surge
2 April 2012: Calls to customer services teams at the UK’s 25 water companies have surged following the announcement that seven water companies in southern and eastern England will be implementing bans from 5 April, with further regions on high alert. The impact on customer service teams has been significant.
The average hosepipe related enquiry is taking 10 minutes to resolve, at a cost of £12 per customer, on top of the expected daily call levels. However, this cost and administrative pressure is not necessary.
Customer analysis has identified a common question: “What impact will the hosepipe ban have on me?”
Having established the key customer concern, it would be far more effective, both in terms of cost and administration, for the water companies to take a proactive approach to customer management. With the technology now available there is no excuse for customers to feel ill-informed and therefore for huge spikes in call numbers in the event of a planned service change, such as the hosepipe ban.
“It is very easy and cost effective to proactively communicate with high volumes of customers, quickly and accurately via letter, email, SMS and social media,” explained Rob Gillam, consultant to the utilities sector, CDC Respond.
“Service providers must use the intelligence provided by customers to pre-empt issues and communicate. Not only will this limit the number of repeat enquiries, the more informed a customer is, the less likely they are to escalate an enquiry to a complaint. This not only reduces the administrative burden, it ensures that the customer management process remains compliant with the requirements of the regulator,” continued Rob Gillam.
From a regulatory perspective it is vital that customers are happy with the communications. OFWAT, the water regulator is increasingly taking action against water companies that provide poor customer service and inadequate complaints management processes.
Whilst the water ban is an environmental consequence, how the provider manages the restrictions will impact compliance and could open the company up to a considerable fine, in addition to the increased administrative costs.
For more information on proactive customer complaints management visit http://www.cdcrespond.com; email: rgillam@cdcrespond.com or Twitter: @cdcrespondrob
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )“Revise Customer Service Processes to put an End Consumer Misery”
CDC Respond tells Utilities Businesses to as EDF Energy Joins List Fined for Poor Customer Complaints Management
There is no excuse – technology can manage the end-to-end process and recover service reputation whilst providing vital, potentially revenue generating businesses data
12 March 2012 – With EDF Energy now ordered to pay a £4.5 million ‘fine’ and npower and British Gas fined over £2 million each for failing to manage customer complaints effectively, Mark Chambers, head of consulting at complaints management specialist, CDC Respond has called on the energy sector to: “Revise customer service processes to put an end customer service misery for millions of UK customers.”
Speaking openly to those responsible for managing customer complaints mark Chambers explained: “There will always be complaints. What matters is how a complaint is managed; how the customer is handled and the processes that lead to a speedy and satisfactory resolution.”
Electricity North West, which owns, operates and maintains the North West’s electricity distribution network has significantly improved its customer complaint handling by putting in place processes that enable the handling and processing of high volumes of customer enquiries, quickly and efficiently.
According to Stephanie Rourke, connections enquiries manager at Electricity North West, “The step-by-step processes, driven by CDC Respond, a widely available customer complaints management platform, allow us to manage our process to deliver the regulatory requirements of the CEAR Act when dealing with customer information requests or complaints.”
Stephanie Rourke continued: “Each step is guided by the fields set-up in the software. All communications are recorded and can be analysed at any point during the processes. We can also export data directly into Ofgem reporting templates to demonstrate that processes are being followed. This is invaluable in the case where a complaint is escalated to the regulator,” explained Stephanie Rourke.
There is no reason why other utilities businesses are not following the customer service excellence route being taken by Electricity North West.
“From an intelligence and administrative perspective, CDC Respond has proven to improve efficiency and highlights choke points within our processes, those that create dissatisfaction with our customers.” The uniform data collation means information can be shared easily between departments, therefore reducing handoffs and interfaces for the customer,” continued Stephanie Rourke of Electricity North West.
Tools, such as CDC Respond, provide customer facing businesses with the ability to manage and respond to customers as individuals, or as groups of similarly affected customers. Controls can be put in place to ensure that every step of the complaints management process, from initial information gathering, through to the point of resolution is recorded.
“Reports generated from customer feedback can be used to improve the business, but also to demonstrate to regulators that all efforts are being made to rectify customer issues and to put in place effective customer complaints management processes,” concluded Mark Chambers, CDC Respond.
@cdcrespondmark http://www.cdcrespond.com
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Banks and insurance firms face huge PPI administration challenge as FSA sets new 8 week resolution time limit
Banks and insurance companies will have just eight weeks to respond to and resolve the PPI compensation claims that will result from the FSA’s instruction that they must write to 12 million PPI customers, clearly stating that they have potentially been miss-sold insurance. If they don’t meet the time limit they face significant fines.
Already the administrative process for most banks and insurance companies is impossible, because they don’t have the tools and processes in place to manage such high volumes of complaints. The result is a major backlog. Getting the process right from the start is vital.
There are three principle steps to follow: 1) Set-up a workflow to ensure the steps to resolution for each case are in place; 2) Ensure the team has the tools and information to follow these steps 3) Know the exact status of each case at all times, identify issues that could affect resolution – and proactively contact the customer if a delay is likely.
If followed, the result will be a lower cost, fast and effective PPI compensation process and a blueprint for customer complaints management excellence moving forward.
Mark Chambers, head of consultants at customer complaints management specialist, CDC Respond
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )CDC Software Addresses Market Need for Proactive and High Volume Customer Complaint Management Tools
CDC Respond 5.6. delivers improved case management and high volume pro-active complaints handling tools for customer service agents
Proven customer complaints and feedback management platform, used by leading banks, retailers and customer-facing service providers, available for the first time as a SaaS option
January 17, 2012 — CDC Software, today announced a number of significant enhancements to its customer complaints and feedback management platform, CDC Respond 5.6. The most significant enhancement is the ability to pro-actively manage high volumes of customer contact cases.
The growing need for high volume management was highlighted by CDC Software’s financial sector customers who need to manage high volumes of PPI compensation claims in a relatively short time scale. They also need to integrate customer data from multiple systems and this has also been acknowledged and addressed in CDC Respond 5.6.
A number of time and cost saving features have also been added. These include advanced case management and complaint handling features for customer service agents. An enhanced user experience, intuitive processes and site navigation tools to optimise case efficiency and significantly reduce the time-to-resolution for each customer complaint.
In parallel to the efficiency gains, which help restore customer satisfaction levels quickly, the new features lower the average administrative cost per customer and reduce the time and cost of staff training, as well as the speed of product familiarisation. This simplification means customer service agents are ready to start handling and managing customer complaints within hours.
“The cross-sector need for pro-active complaint management has never been greater. PPI compensation management has led demand for high volume import capability in CDC Respond 5.6,” explained Mathew James, principle consultant at Customer Care Solutions, an independent customer complaints management consultancy with customers including the Home Retail Group.
In addition to the frontline customer complaints management, in the back office, through analysis of the data gathered in the two-way communications process, CDC Respond 5.6 provides insight into current customer satisfaction levels; details and alerts management to the root cause of customer issues, and highlights areas of the business that need to change or could benefit from process, product or service review.
Tools to support configuration and user password reset via the web have also been added. There is also Chrome, Firefox and IE9 browser support. Other improvements include an improved set of Web Site maintenance features including Site Upgrade, Repair, Re-direction and HTTPS support and CDC Respond 5.6 Office productivity tools are now compatible with Microsoft Office 2010, 2007 and 2003.
Multiple delivery options to ensure rapid business benefits and ROI
CDC Respond 5.6 is available via four delivery options; on-premise, remotely managed, hosted and, for the first time, CDC Respond is available as a SaaS / Cloud deployed solution. The major benefits of the SaaS option is its simplicity, flexibility and the immediate operational and capital benefits it delivers.
As a browser-based SaaS application, CDC Respond 5.6 can be fully functional within hours and set-up by the customer services team without the need for IT department support. It can be used as a short-term option, for example, where a business is faced with a one-off, but high volume customer case management project.
“In the current economy, companies are looking for technology solutions to help them reduce the time, resources and costs associated with handling feedback and complaints while increasing customer service standards,” explained Paul Elswood, President CDC Software EMEA. “With its industry standard technologies, robust functionality and flexible delivery models options, CDC Respond 5.6 promotes low total cost of ownership and helps an organisation improve customer satisfaction and the overall customer experience, all of which will promote long-term customer loyalty and improved profitability.”
Summary of pro-active case management enhancements
For the first time, ‘like’ cases can be pro-actively processed in volume. This is ideal for regulator directed cases e.g. PPI or product recalls. Cases can be uploaded to CDC Respond 5.6 in bulk. Updates to cases can be applied including updating the case and sub-entities or adding new documents and attachments. Outputs, including letters and data sheets, can be generated and sent either for external print or as emails. To support volumes, batch classification updates can now be applied to cases.
CDC Respond is used by organisations that deal with high volumes of inbound complaints, most of which have to adhere to regulatory audits on how the complaints are processed and handled. The system enables users to log, manage, escalate and resolve cases, such as complaints, complex queries and feedback, quickly and consistently.
CDC Respond products can be used to import, log, manage, update escalate, resolve and output cases (feedback; complaints, complex queries, compliments and suggestions) quickly and consistently, reducing manual hand-offs, manual keying, and re-keying, whilst promoting ‘first contact resolution’ and capture of root cause and organisational learning information. The end result is efficiently managed customer feedback and continuous customer insight for organisational learning and improvement.
About CDC Respond
CDC Respond is a suite of complaint and feedback management applications designed specifically to improve the customer experience. The solution enables organisations to extend and improve customer service capabilities to front-line staff, while providing extensive management information to drive change and improve business practices. The solution is proven to deliver cost reductions and improved services as well as increased efficiency, customer satisfaction and profitability. For more information about CDC Respond, please visit: www.cdcrespond.com.
About CDC Software
CDC Software (NASDAQ: CDCS), The Customer-Driven Company™, is a hybrid enterprise software provider of on-premise and cloud deployments. Leveraging a service-oriented architecture (SOA), CDC Software offers multiple delivery options for their solutions including on-premise, hosted, cloud-based Software as a Service (SaaS) or blended-hybrid deployment offerings. CDC Software’s solutions include enterprise resource planning (ERP), manufacturing operations management, enterprise manufacturing intelligence, supply chain management (demand management, order management and warehouse and transportation management), global trade management, e-Commerce, human capital management, customer relationship management (CRM), complaint management and aged care solutions.
CDC Software’s recent acquisitions are part of its “acquire, integrate, innovate and grow” strategy. Fueling the success of this strategy is the company’s global scalable business and technology infrastructure featuring multiple complementary applications and services, domain expertise in vertical markets, cost effective product engineering centers in India and China, a highly collaborative and fast product development process utilizing Agile methodologies, and a worldwide network of direct sales and channel operations. This strategy has helped CDC Software deliver innovative and industry-specific solutions to 10,000 customers worldwide within the manufacturing, distribution, transportation, retail, government, real estate, financial services, health care, and not-for-profit industries. For more information, please visit www.cdcsoftware.com.
Press contact details:
Caroline Howlett and Sophie Bailey
Strategic PR
01494 434434
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Customers Say the Funniest Things – Or Do They?!
Research into UK customer service levels reveals the Top 20 customer complaints received by retailers and service providers in 2011
6 December 2011 – Over 200 customer service professionals were asked to detail the funniest, most unusual, or seemingly outrageous customer complaints they have received in recent years, as part of a research project into customer service levels in the UK.
The research was carried out by Henley Business School and customer complaint management specialist, CDC Software. The Top 20 results have been broken into to the following categories – retail, holidays, pets and utilities and are as follows:
Retail
1) A customer phoned to complain following the delivery of a curtain pole. On finding no one home, the driver decided it would be possible to still deliver the pole – through the letterbox. When the customer returned they found their dog pinned to the wall!
2) Following the purchase of a dishwasher, a customer returned to the store and announced: “The dishwasher is quite obviously faulty – when set to wash, water sprays, but the plates don’t spin!”
3) A student contacted a food producer to complain that he’d almost choked on a fish hook. A full investigation followed involving full traceability reports. It was established that the dish used net caught fish and no hooks had been used in the production process. The student apologised for trying to falsely obtain compensation!
4) A customer complained that the ham he’d purchased was unreasonably salty. The retailer said he would receive a full refund on the return of the remaining ham. The customer said this “would be impossible”. He’d managed to eat the remaining 480grams of offending ham!
5) A supermarket customer complained that his bill was wrong. The assistant explained that a number of in-store discounts had been applied, hence the lower than expected bill. The customer would not accept this and insisted on speaking to the manager. Despite further explanation, the customer could not be appeased until it was accepted that he was right and “allowed” to pay the higher total!
6) On receiving a call advising that her contact lens order was early and could be collected, the customer complained to the head office, suggestion that the ‘overzealous’ ordering system was akin to high pressure selling!
7) A customer threatened to escalate his complaint, adamant that his phone should have withstood a full wash cycle. The label sewn to his jacket pocket clearly stated that the pocket was “fully waterproof”!
8) A television was returned because the picture was not clear. On being told he was required to protective film from the screen, the customer insisted that at no point during the sales process had he been told he’d be required to do this and insisted on a full refund, plus compensation for his wasted time!
Holidays
9) An insurance company received a call following an incident in a hired campervan. It claimed that a crash and the resulting damage to the interior and exterior of the van was the result of a faulty auto-drive system.
In his claim, the customer stated: “I put the vehicle into auto-drive and walked to the rear of the vehicle, only to be thrown against the basinet, flinging fresh coffee flung against the wall and cabinets as the auto-drive failed and took us, at some speed, into the hedgerow.”
10) On return from a camping holiday on an approved “farm stay” site, a holiday maker requested a full refund stating their holiday had been ruined by the “intrusive noise of cows mooing!”
Pets
11) A pet owner contacted a high-profile department store to complain that the dog coat purchased was not “fit for purpose”. When dressed in the dog coat she revealed her rabbit had “gnawed through the straps.”
12) A pet shop refunded a customer after they complained the hamster recently purchased was “neither friendly nor cuddly.”
13) A customer contacted a leading watch brand to complain about the quality of its goods. Despite the company’s “promise of quality”, the strap had failed to stand-up to being chewed by a dog!
14) A blouse was returned to a high street retailer with a demand, not only for a refund, but compensation for the vets fees incurred due to the pattern causing the customer’s dog to bite itself!
15) A high street bank received a complaint from a customer claiming its TV advertisement encouraged animal cruelty – the ad featured a pet snake being released into the garden!
Utilities
16) A utilities company received a call from a customer complaining about the exceptionally high quality of customer service. It was suggested that less money was spent on staff training and the savings put to reducing customer bills!
17) A customer contacted their electricity provider complaining a power failure resulting from high winds caused them to miss a “vital episode” of Coronation Street!
18) An electricity provider received a call about an exceptionally high bill. It was agreed that for a two bedroom house, it was and an investigative visit was arranged. On arrival, the engineer found seven huge chest freezers in the garage. It turned out the customer was a taxidermist and the freezers were used to store customers’ deceased pets – hence the higher than average bill!
And finally
19) An internal helpdesk received a call from a user complaining that she could only view her monitor correctly if she lay her head on her desk. Once the monitor was rotated by the support team, the problem was solved!
20) A diner complained to the waiter that the Champagne recommended was not as “excellent” as suggested. Despite consuming all but a glass of the bottle, he insisted on a full-refund!
21) Having filled his car with petrol at an independent petrol station, a customer presented his fuel card to pay. On being told this card was not accepted he explained that he had no other means of payment and suggested that he call his bank to arrange a transfer. The cashier was not happy, accused the driver of trying to steal fuel and drew a shotgun on him! This complaint is still being investigated!
Note to editors:
The question was asked as part of a wider research project into customer service levels in the UK and the public’s perception of customer complaints management: “The Future of CRM”. The supporting roundtable discussion, research highlights, customer service opinion Vox Pop and a video summary of the funny complaints can be viewed at
The examples listed above are based on real events; however, names have been withheld and certain facts changed to protect the confidentiality of the parties.
More details about CDC Software and customer complaints management visit www.cdcrespond.com or contact Caroline Howlett or Sophie Bailey at Strategic PR on 01494 434434 or cdc@strategicpr.net.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )The “Joy” of Christmas Shopping is Dampened by Poor Customer Service
Research by Henley Business School and CDC Software reveals current customer service levels fail to meet customer expectations
As retailers enter the busiest shopping fortnight of the year, research by Henley Business School and CDC Software reveals that UK retailers are failing to meet customer service expectations.
Over 200 people were interviewed including customers and customer service professionals from all sectors including retail, travel & leisure, banking, finance and automotive.
The summary research findings are as follows;
· 75% of consumers believe customer service standards in the UK are at an all-time low
· 62% feel no loyalty to retailers or service providers as a result of feeling under-valued as a customer
· Over half have been driven to complain about a product or service in the last 12 months, most of these making a complaint for the first time
· 67% believe retailers, leisure providers and service providers are arrogant, make no effort to understand their customers and as a result fail to supply against customer demand
· As a direct result, 55% say this failure to tailor stock and services loses sales
· 80% of customers revealed that they would like immediate reassurance and evidence that a complaint will be taken seriously and a satisfactory conclusion achieved
· Over 50% of UK consumers think businesses should be fined for consistent poor service
However, it’s not all bad:
· 69% of travellers and shoppers say self-service check-ins and check-outs improve the customer experience
· 50% of consumers are happy with the customer service information provided on websites
· Of the 80% of customers wanting to speak with a ‘human’, 60% are happy with the customer service received from a call centre and do not ask for face-to-face interaction
Research conclusion
The project: “The Future of CRM – a Market Study by .
The overall project was managed by customer complaint and feedback management solution provider, CDC Software and overseen and analysed by Professor Moira Clark, director of CRM at Henley Business School.
In conclusion, the research found that Britain’s consumers are increasingly dissatisfied with standards of customer service across the retail, leisure and service sectors. The on-going economic constraints facing consumers were found to be contributory in the rise of customer service complaints, but not the cause.
People are simply demanding better all-round quality. Where at one time a faulty item might have been thrown away, or an alternative meal ordered if the quality was not good, customers will no longer effectively pay twice and are now demanding, not just their money back, but compensation too!
With the number of complaints rising consistently, and awareness of this being spread in the media and via social media channels, over 50% of consumers believe businesses that consistently provide poor service should be penalised. The key reasons cited were: “there’s no excuse for poor service”; “customers should get what they are paying for”; “by listening to customers businesses should know what’s acceptable and what isn’t” and, “if more than one customer makes the same complaint the root cause should be established and changes made”.
However, the introduction of self-service supermarket checkouts and airport and train station check-ins has improved the customer experience for nearly 70% of people. The research found that 92% of customers like to interface with humans on their own terms and 79% found it intrusive to be approached, making self-service the ideal customer solution!
When it comes to making a complaint, 80% of customers want to deal with a person and not a machine, whether in person or via a call centre. 60% of people are more than happy with the response they receive from a call centre, although the remaining 40% said they “feel anonymous” when calling a call centre and fear being passed from department to department. They also dread being asked to repeat their details and complaint over and over again.
The research also found that customer loyalty has become a thing of the past for all but 17% of consumers. Competition from online sources, independent customer reviews and more public complaints channels mean people use and trust independent reviews and user comments on social media channels when making a purchasing decision more than they do advertising.
It was also established that customer complaints now play a greater role in the purchasing process; poor customer service can be broadcast globally with a single Facebook status update and therefore the research revealed that it is vital for retailers, travel companies and service providers to have a strong social media element in their overall customer service strategies.
About the research project
The objective of the project, entitled “The Future of CRM – a Market Study by CDC Software in association with Henley Business School”, looked at common customer service practices in the UK and the public’s reaction to these.
The findings of the research were presented to a panel of industry customer service practitioners, each involved in face-to-face customer service practice or policy setting.
The panel comprised of Professor Moira Clark, director of The Henley Centre for Customer Management, Henley Business School and Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service representing the CRM industry.
Representing the retail sector were Mathew James, at the time, customer care manager at Argos FS and now director of Customer Care Solutions, working on a long-term project with Shop Direct Finance Company, amongst others and Michael Wallis, former customer services manager at the Page & Moy Travel Group and now Customer Services Manager, University of Cambridge. From the wider industry were CRM experts Martin Baker, managing director of MicroFocus and Jonathan Pyefinch of CDC Software.
Further information and expert interviews
To speak to any of the experts involved in the research and roundtable, or for more information on CDC Software please contact:
Strategic PR
Caroline Howlett or Sophie Bailey
01494 434434
cdc@strategicpr.net
Caroline Howlett
Account Director
Strategic Public Relations Limited
T +44 (0)1494 434434
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Energy Companies told to Use Complaint Management Tools to “End Customer Service Misery and Start Learning from Complaints”
There is no excuse – technology can manage the end-to-end process and recover service reputation whilst providing vital, potentially revenue generating businesses data
24 November 2011 – With EDF Energy under the review of Ofgem, and npower and British Gas fined over £2 million each for failing to manage customer complaints effectively, Paul Elswood, chairman of customer complaints management specialist, CDC Software and Mathew James, a respected independent customer service consultant, have called on the energy sector to end customer service misery.
Speaking openly to those responsible for managing customer complaints Mathew James, director of Mathew James Customer Care Solutions explained: “There will always be complaints. What matters is how a complaint is managed; how the customer is handled and the processes that lead to a speedy and comprehensive resolution.”
“A well-managed complaint is potentially worth millions of pounds in future revenues,” continued Paul Elswood, president, CDC Software EMEA. “The information provided during the complaints process should be recorded and analysed for several reasons. Firstly, the root cause of a widespread customer issue can quickly be established and resolved. Secondly, best practice can be established to cut the time and cost of managing future complaints.
“However, by failing to manage customer complaints, customer-facing businesses are not only likely to lose customers, but also valuable customer intelligence which can generate future revenues,” continued Paul Elswood. “The feedback provided by a customer provides a here and now insight into the business and a level of real time intelligence that cannot be achieved through other means. The scope for competitive advantage is huge.”
By recording and analysing customer feedback, a business is given an up-to-the-minute view of the businesses. The information can be used to put right weaknesses in the business, to improve customer communications, reduce the volume of future complaints, but also to develop new revenue generating products and services.
Software tools, such as CDC Respond from CDC Software, are widely used by customer facing organisations including Electricity North West, which owns, operates and maintains the North West’s electricity distribution network. It was one of the first 14 regulated electricity networks in the UK.
According to Stephanie Rourke, connections enquiries manager at Electricity North West, “The step-by-step process driven by CDC Respond allows us to manage our process to deliver the regulatory requirements of the CEAR Act when dealing with customer information requests or complaints.”
“Each step is guided by the fields set-up in the software. All communications are recorded and can be analysed at any point during the processes. We can also export data directly into the Ofgem reporting templates, demonstrating that processes are being followed. This is invaluable in the case where a complaint is escalated to the regulator,” explained Stephanie Rourke.
One of the requirements of the CEAR Act, under which energy companies must operate, is to ensure that the customer has been informed of the complaints process and the remedial steps that have and will be taken to show compliance with the regulation this is easily traced within the system and jeopardy reports ensure compliance.
“From an intelligence and administrative perspective, CDC Respond has also proven to improve efficiency and to highlight choke points within our processes that create dissatisfaction with our customers. The uniform data collation means information can be shared easily between departments, therefore reducing handoffs and interfaces for the customer,” continued Stephanie Rouke of Electricity North West.
Tools, such as CDC Respond, provide customer facing businesses with the ability to manage and respond to customers as individuals, or as groups of similarly affected customers. Controls can be put in place to ensure that every step of the complaints management process, from initial information gathering, through to the point of resolution is recorded.
“Reports generated from customer feedback can be used to improve the business, but also to demonstrate to regulators that all efforts are being made to rectify customer issues and to put in place effective customer complaints management processes,” concluded Paul Elswood, president, CDC Software.
For more information contact
Caroline Howlett / Sophie Bailey
Strategic PR
01494 434434 / cdc
“End Customer Service Misery and Start Learning from Complaints”
There is no excuse – technology can manage the end-to-end process and recover service reputation whilst providing vital, potentially revenue generating businesses data
24 November 2011 – With EDF Energy under the review of Ofgem, and npower and British Gas fined over £2 million each for failing to manage customer complaints effectively, Paul Elswood, chairman of customer complaints management specialist, CDC Software and Mathew James, a respected independent customer service consultant, have called on the energy sector to end customer service misery.
Speaking openly to those responsible for managing customer complaints Mathew James, director of Mathew James Customer Care Solutions explained: “There will always be complaints. What matters is how a complaint is managed; how the customer is handled and the processes that lead to a speedy and comprehensive resolution.”
“A well-managed complaint is potentially worth millions of pounds in future revenues,” continued Paul Elswood, president, CDC Software EMEA. “The information provided during the complaints process should be recorded and analysed for several reasons. Firstly, the root cause of a widespread customer issue can quickly be established and resolved. Secondly, best practice can be established to cut the time and cost of managing future complaints.
“However, by failing to manage customer complaints, customer-facing businesses are not only likely to lose customers, but also valuable customer intelligence which can generate future revenues,” continued Paul Elswood. “The feedback provided by a customer provides a here and now insight into the business and a level of real time intelligence that cannot be achieved through other means. The scope for competitive advantage is huge.”
By recording and analysing customer feedback, a business is given an up-to-the-minute view of the businesses. The information can be used to put right weaknesses in the business, to improve customer communications, reduce the volume of future complaints, but also to develop new revenue generating products and services.
Software tools, such as CDC Respond from CDC Software, are widely used by customer facing organisations including Electricity North West, which owns, operates and maintains the North West’s electricity distribution network. It was one of the first 14 regulated electricity networks in the UK.
According to Stephanie Rourke, connections enquiries manager at Electricity North West, “The step-by-step process driven by CDC Respond allows us to manage our process to deliver the regulatory requirements of the CEAR Act when dealing with customer information requests or complaints.”
“Each step is guided by the fields set-up in the software. All communications are recorded and can be analysed at any point during the processes. We can also export data directly into the Ofgem reporting templates, demonstrating that processes are being followed. This is invaluable in the case where a complaint is escalated to the regulator,” explained Stephanie Rourke.
One of the requirements of the CEAR Act, under which energy companies must operate, is to ensure that the customer has been informed of the complaints process and the remedial steps that have and will be taken to show compliance with the regulation this is easily traced within the system and jeopardy reports ensure compliance.
“From an intelligence and administrative perspective, CDC Respond has also proven to improve efficiency and to highlight choke points within our processes that create dissatisfaction with our customers. The uniform data collation means information can be shared easily between departments, therefore reducing handoffs and interfaces for the customer,” continued Stephanie Rouke of Electricity North West.
Tools, such as CDC Respond, provide customer facing businesses with the ability to manage and respond to customers as individuals, or as groups of similarly affected customers. Controls can be put in place to ensure that every step of the complaints management process, from initial information gathering, through to the point of resolution is recorded.
“Reports generated from customer feedback can be used to improve the business, but also to demonstrate to regulators that all efforts are being made to rectify customer issues and to put in place effective customer complaints management processes,” concluded Paul Elswood, president, CDC Software.
For more information contact
Caroline Howlett / Sophie Bailey
Strategic PR
01494 434434 / cdc
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Experts propose complaint best practices as watchdogs slam UK service levels
Posted by Rachel Fielding in Customer experience
Customer service experts are proposing for common complaints and feedback management best practice processes, amid calls by regulators to ramp up customer service in the UK.
Common processes to manage customer complaints and feedback are needed to ensure consumers get a fair deal and help retailers and service providers understand the business benefits of responding to customer feedback appropriately, urge CDC Software and customer service consultancy Mathew James Customer Care Solutions.
A year-long complaints management process study by CDC Software revealed that a high percentage of service providers still fail to recognise how business-critical the data generated during the customer complaints process is to the future success of their business, and the loyalty of its customers.
Just last week Ofgem called on gas and electricity providers to address poor complaint handling, and in the last few week the Financial Services Authority (FSA) won compensation for all customers mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI).
“There will always be complaints,” explained Mathew James, director of Mathew James Customer Care Solutions. “What matters is how a complaint is handled, the speed to resolution and retrospectively how the information gathered from the complaint process is used to put right weaknesses in the business, improve customer communications, reduce the volume of future complaints and equally to develop new revenue generating products and services.”
“All feedback provides vital customer intelligence. All intelligence should be analysed and used to continually improve the business, how it communicates with its publics and the experience it provides to its customers. Complaints only become a business issue if the business fails to acknowledge and respond,” explained Mark Chambers, head of solutions consultants at CDC Software UK & Ireland.
Proposed best practice
· Culture. Look at customer complaints as highly targeted business intelligence and use root cause analysis to improve the business, increase brand value, reduce complaint volume and to cross-sell products and services.
· KPIs. Understand that badly-set KPIs hamper the quality of complaint resolution. Good complaints management is about the quality and effective resolution of each complaint, not, for example, the number of calls handled.
· Technology. The right technology will revolutionise customer service. An intuitive, easy-to-use and informative customer management platform will “listen” to the customer and “tell” the business what it is doing right and where it is going wrong!
· People. Customer service personnel are the face of the business. They form customer opinions. It is vital to have the right people in place and they must be trained and empowered.
· Trends. Monitor trends to ensure the root cause of repetitive complaints is established and processes put in place, or new services developed, to avoid unnecessary customer complaints and ensure future customer satisfaction.
· Social media. Businesses need to understand the speed and breadth of information flow and be pro-active. Monitor activity, anticipate issues and pro-actively communicate using the preferred channel of each customer group.
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