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2008 ICSP Research with Hogan Assessment Systems and Peter Berry Consultancy
Australia's Workforce DNA
Who are they And What motivates them?
Released: Monday 6th October 2008 in Melbourne at The ICSW Breakfast Launch, RACV Club
The Dataset includes over 25,000 Australian Participants across a diverse range of industries and occupations.
This research offers the opportunity to understand:
- What motivates our Australian workforce in 2008 and beyond.
- What is the difference between our younger and older generational workforce.
- How to engage our workforce to deliver and meet the needs of our customers.
Some of the Key Findings include:
- Australians are less prudent than their global colleagues. This indicates that in our personality DNA we will be quick to act and make things happen within organisations.
- The DNA of the Australian workforce was far more Colourful than other nationalities. This was the only Hogan Development Survey scale where we were higher than other countires.
- In relation to Generational Changes in the workforce, we were more alike than different. However some differences were found.
The full research white paper is available to ICSP Members only.
If you would like to take out an ICSP Membership, please visit our webpage - great benefits, great savings!
2007 ICSP Research with Hogan Assessment Systems and Peter Berry Consultancy
Released: October 2007 in Melbourne at Federation Square
Peter Berry Consultancy and Hogan Assessment Systems partnered with the International Customer Service Professionals (ICSP) to conduct a profiling study to find out what it takes to be a high-performing customer service professional and also what it takes to supervise a high-performing customer service team
High performing Customer Service Professionals said that it takes five attributes to be the best in their craft;
i) Keep your cool ii) Know your stuff iii) Strategically socialise iv) Have the "-bilities" v) Play well with others
The full Research is available to ICSP Members only.
If you would like to take out an ICSP Membership, please visit our webpage - great benefits, great savings!
If you have any questions, please call ICSP on 1300 760 130.
2004 Research
Customer Service Week research
Staff friendliness is No1; loyalty wins over price
Staff friendliness is the most valued aspect of the customer service experience and 94% of shoppers will stay loyal to an outlet even if prices are cheaper at a nearby store.
They are the key findings of research conducted by the service experience agency GAPbuster® Worldwide for the launch of National Customer Service Week today (Monday, October 4).
According to the research, in order of importance, customers are looking for:
- Staff friendliness
- Staff knowledge
- Efficiency of service
- Reliability
- Professionalism
- Responsiveness
- Product range/appeal
- Value for money (attractive pricing)
- Taking ownership of service
- Atmosphere
- Store presentation/environment
- Accessibility
Dubbed My Customer Rules, the research was conducted on 250 consultants of GAPbuster Worldwide.
46% of respondents rated staff friendliness Number 1, while 73% rated staff friendliness as a top 3 preference.
When asked: “If prices were slightly higher at this outlet than at similar businesses in your area, would you still choose to visit this outlet?” 94% said, “Yes”.
These are the new rules, said Tricia Olsen, Customer Service Week convener and CEO of International Customer Service Professionals which has the Australian-New Zealand licence to stage Customer Service Week.
The results may challenge managers in sales, marketing, store designer and HR to rethink their priorities, she said.
The human factor plays the biggest part in the service experience, she said. The top 6 out of 12 service elements ranked by customers who experience exceptional service all related to personal interaction with the staff member on the frontline.
“Customers are looking for staff that take time to build a meaningful and trusting relationship, are efficient, show compassion, have good product knowledge and go out of their way to be friendly,” Ms Olsen said.
“Customers want to be treated as a person, not a faceless shopper with a purchase card.”
Ms Olsen said personal interaction was placed above price, yet many businesses believed they could compete on price alone.
The research reinforces the notion that people are the brand, she said.
“Millions spent developing a brand perception in the customer become a reality the moment the customer makes contact with a frontline staff member. This is the brand experience.”
Ms Olsen said friendliness could only come when employees were genuinely happy in their job, and product knowledge and efficiency could come only come from experience and effective training.
ICSW 2003 Survey Results - Customer Service Research
"Is the Customer Always Right" Survey Results
Released October 6th 2003
72% of customer service providers don't believe the customer is always right
Seventy-two per cent of customer service providers do not believe the customer is always right, according to a survey released at the launch of Customer Service Week.
Only 45% of businesses have adopted the "customer is always right" as policy/culture, the survey also found.
The survey of over 300 Australian businesses undertaken by International Customer Service Professionals also found that:
- The most confronting customer behaviour is Physical (27%), Blaming (19%), Yelling (17%), Sarcasm (14%), Swearing (14%), Denying (11%).
- 45% of service providers say they feel anger with confronting customers, 24% feel intimidated, 20% "don't care", 13% feel embarrassed, 5% want to get even and 4% feel insecure;
- First reaction of a service provider to a confronting customer is try to turn the situation around (67%), tell the customer to calm down (28%), try and prove them wrong (19%), stick to what they believe (16%), hand it over to superior (10), and yell back (1%) - (multiple choice question)
- 84% of customer service providers say customer expectations have risen over the past 3 years with 63% saying those expectations have risen by 40%-60%
- only 52% of businesses benchmark their customer service standards with competitors/other organisations
- 25% of service providers believe their business or organisation provides "Excellent" service, 48% say "Good", 18% "Average", 1% "Very poor" 8% didn't know
- 84% believe their industries need to improve their service
- 3% say the Australian service industries as a whole provide "Excellent" customer service, 36% rate it as "Good", 46% as "Average", 12% as "Poor" and 3% "Very Poor".
Industries surveyed were across retail, banking/financial service, transport, hospitality, consulting, utilities, manufacturing, insurance, military, importing, building, IT, sport, education, local government. Business Categories: 30% small under 30 employees, 10% medium 30-100 employees, 60% large 100-plus employees. Respondents were individual customer service providers who had daily customer contact either face-to-face or via telephone.