Acknowledging service... and the lack thereof

4 Nov 2009

The 2009 Ask Afrika Orange Index results, recognising the companies offering the best customer service levels in South Africa, were released yesterday, Tuesday 3 November 2009. This year's winners include Woolworths Food, Santam, Miladys, Woolworths Clothing and Standard Bank in the top five positions. The index, covering 12 sectors, is based on a survey conducted amongst South African consumers on an annual basis and is considered the most comprehensive service excellence measure in South Africa.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

“Congratulations to all the winners,” said Richard Wright, getclosure! operations manager. “It's great to see so many South African companies taking customer service seriously and being rewarded for their excellence. Equally, it is encouraging that South African consumers take cognisance of the level of service they receive, and stand up for their rights when they are disappointed.”

The company is an independent online consumer affairs portal that assists with the discreet resolution of customer complaints. More than 1147 South African suppliers - including leading banks, retailers, cell phone companies, insurers and car dealers - are making active use of the company's service.

In addition to measuring customer satisfaction levels, is also important to get an indication of how a supplier performs when things go wrong. This is an important measure of customer-centricity and shows how a business responds to unhappy customers. Does the company respond to the customer's complaint promptly? Does the business treat the customer's concerns with courtesy and respect? Is the customer left satisfied with the resolution reached?

Measuring complaints and closure

“Conflict can be difficult for a business to manage. Customer-centric businesses handle their customers' concerns with tact and respect, addressing the customer on his or her own terms and aiming to turn a negative experience into a positive one,” continues Wright.

According to getclosure!'s customer-centricity ratings, the top performers for the past six months are Huggies Nappies, Africa Bank, House & Home, Budget Insurance and Hi-Fi Corporation.

The companies are rated based on feedback consumers submit to getclosure! when they close a complaint. Amongst other things, they are asked how satisfied they are with the way in which the business dealt with their complaint, and how satisfied they are with the outcome of the complaint.

At the same time, the online complaints management system keeps an impartial record of how the complaint was managed. The most important measure here, from a customer's perspective, is how long the business took to acknowledge to the complaint - was the response swift and prompt or did the company drag its feet?

The majority of customers say they used the getclosure! site because they had tried contacting the supplier and were not satisfied with the response they received or received no response.