The value of the human touch

Companies have traditionally thought of customer service as a cost centre, which made it a ripe target for cuts during the downturn. That has contributed to increasing frustration among consumers who have suffered with poor service in recent years.

 

Although many operations are completed electronically in this virtual world we should never forget that essentially commerce is about people trading together.


The reality is that goods need to be moved from point of production to point of consumption and obviously the diverse elements which make up this chain cannot be achieved solely via a computer terminal.


It makes sound economic sense to foster and maintain good customer relationships as it has been determined that it costs up to five times as much to win a new customer as it does to retain one.


There is an old adage “value your customer,” this dictate has never been more important than in these uncertain and challenging times.