Mary Portas is on a mission to change the bad customer service culture in the UK high street and give shoppers the service they really deserve. In a little over a month, she has recruited over 12,000 people to give their verdict on the best and worst shops in the UK.
And if you have watched any of the episodes of her recent TV series 'Secret Shopper' on Channel 4, then you would think that the root cause of shoddy customer service is the pursuit of bigger company profits. But who is really to blame for bad customer service….the shop or the customer?
Andrew Aldred at managemycomplaints.com argues that the real problem is indeed customers themselves: “It's simple. As long as customers are reluctant to complain, then nothing changes. But what really matters is HOW and WHO they complain to. Whilst Mary advocates that customers should direct their complaints to the store manager and take their custom elsewhere if not satisfied. The reality is that most customers will put up with bad service at the expense of 'low cost'.”
Continues Aldred: “What customers need to do is complain in store. Then complain again to head office! It's the only way you can be sure that the organisation is listening. Most retail businesses prefer that complaints are dealt with at a local level. Of course, it makes perfect sense to the business to manage complaints this way. However, the reality is that complaints are rarely logged or reported back up to head office. Add to this that no store manager wants to promote the fact that he or she has the 'worst' store for customer service then complaints and feedback will always remain hidden.”
The result, according to managemycomplaints.com, is that companies can never really be sure of the true scale of the problems and what the impact on the business is.
Low cost retailing operations are also less likely to invest in what may be perceived as 'expensive' customer service initiatives. However, what the Channel 4 Secret Shopper series has proved is that even modest investments in delivering an enhanced customer experience can pay dividends. And it all starts with a willingness and ability to capture all customer feedback - good and bad.
