Leading companies today spend billions on managing their brand image with help from top contact center software. And in many industries, no part of that public image is more crucial than how people believe a company's customer service is. Customer service has become more than an "industry coinage" as big companies who mistreat their clients lose them right and left. Having a solid CX strategy and using the best contact center software can improve customer relationships and grow your business.
Every client wants excellent customer service, but if companies can hire competent PR people to cover the issues, how do customers demand them to improve? We believe that a good beginning would be to squeeze the information gap so that customers can choose who is good for them and who isn't.
Keeping that in mind, we have screened through customer surveys, feedback, contact center software reviews, as well as some real-life experiences of customers, to design a list of 10 best and 10 worst companies for customer service.
The Importance of Customer Service in Business
85% of customers prefer spending money with a company that consistently delivers a top-notch level of customer care. Organizations that consistently maltreat their customers face a never-ending struggle to expand their business. You can only accomplish repeat business if a customer returns to your company willingly and is delighted with your service level.
You can't overlook the importance of customer experience software in the business. Continuously attracting new clients can be financially expensive, especially for small businesses. Making your customers happy and valued can differentiate between long-term success and liquidation. Here are the significant reasons why customer service should be a priority for every company;
- Retain customers: if a customer gets a good experience from an organization, they're more likely to come back, and the more loyal prospects you have, the more your business can expand to its full potential.
- Promote employee retention: employees always happily work for companies that treat their customers in the best way. When your employees observe a customer-oriented approach, they will be more likely to turn into advocates for the business.
- Fortify your company name and values: your customer service team regularly communicates with clients, which means they are responsible for reinforcing your brand's values and mission. Excellent customer service can lead to positive feedback and word-of-mouth recommendations for your brand, resulting in new business.
The 10 Best Companies for Customer Service
- Apple
The American customer satisfaction index second quarter report shows that Apple is considered the leading company by customers in the personal computers category in terms of top-quality customer services. The company’s score on a 100-point scale was 77. Computerworld stated that Apple focuses on product innovation, and its customer service has acquired many loyal customers.
- GE
The General Electric Company ranks no 1 in the major appliances category by the ASCI survey with a baseline score of 81. Besides promoting the company's service through its blog, GE established its goodwill through its program GE six sigma black Belt, where management experts provide outstanding customer services by assisting internal customers in cutting costs, streamlining processes, and increasing profit margins.
- Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota is a leader within the automobile section, with a baseline score of 79. Katheryn Potter wrote in her article that, undoubtedly, Toyota's vehicle quality and reliability are the industry's gold standard. Still, the reason behind the exceptional customer loyalty is its customer-centric mindset and management philosophy.
Google experience is the most significant example of a company devoted to pleasing its customers based on consistent innovation and constant quality over the years. In the search engines category, Google is the leader with a score of 82.
- Southwest Airlines CO.
Southwest Airlines is number 1 in the airline industry and displays a baseline ASCI score of 78. The company has a passion for customer service that keeps it ahead of competitors.
- Cox Communication INC.
Cox is the king in customer satisfaction. It ranked first in customer satisfaction in the fixed-line telephone service provider category. The company reflects outstanding customer satisfaction in billing, customer service, reliability, performance, service cost, and company image.
- Hilton Hotels Corporation
Innovation merged with a wish to improve the customer experience is visible in Hilton's programs, such as the Hilton Technology Room, a lab to collect customer feedback on the latest technologies. With an ASCI baseline score of 75, the company ranks no.1 in the category of hotels.
- SAMSUNG Electronics America, INC.
The company is the world's leading producer of mobile handsets, famous for top-tier mobile technology. With an ASCI score of 73, Samsung is the top cellular phone company.
- The Direct Group, INC
DirectTV has billions of subscribers, more than any other satellite industry. This company was ranked no.1 in the cable and satellite TV category with an ASCI score of 71. This score signifies that customers are delighted with this industry's whole standard of service.
- PAPA JOHN’S INTERNATIONAL, INC
With a baseline score of 79, the company is far ahead of large pizza rivals (Domino's, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks) in the service restaurants category. The company's CEO says they always strive to serve superior quality pizza with fantastic value and customer service. Consumers will understand the difference and always reward you with repeat business.
The 10 Worst Companies for Customer Service
Here's a list of the 10 worst companies for customer service:
- AOL – Popular for tricking its customers
- Best Buy – reportedly offering the worst customer service
- LASTMINUTE.COM – doesn't care who its customers are.
- HOME DEPOT – Unfortunately, you never care about your home.
- AT&T – The Company has hundreds of horror stories about its customers
- SBC – The Company charges $200 to its customers if they want to cancel the service
- ALBERTSON’S – don’t offer protection for customer privacy
- MCIMETRO ACCESS (MCI Communications (old name)) – the company breached state service quality regulations 850 times
- CIRCUIT CITY – They don’t care about their customers once they receive the payments
- DAY’S INN – The company has racists in the ruling positions, and they never keep their promise
Choosing the Best Contact Center Software for Improved Customer Service
Most companies have a customer service center; it doesn't matter if it's a large or small department or an outsourced operation; all these departments need to be able to track, manage and streamline customer service activities. Customer service software presents a solution in a tech stack that helps customers and provides practical and more effective customer services.
No business wants to invest in a contact center software solution only to discover that it doesn't meet its call center's needs. To choose the best contact center software, these are some expert tips you should keep in mind to compare contact center software and evaluate the best one.
Make sure the call center software you choose for your business can integrate with your social networking, CRM, marketing, and helpdesk software.
- Ensure that the call center software offers the best customer service and that the payment goes through promptly and securely.
- The best contact center software should be capable of automatic call distribution. This way, the load of the calls can be managed smoothly.
- The software must offer usability and ease of implementation. It shouldn’t take longer than a couple of hours to go live.
- The software must use cutting-edge security measures and encryption to protect all personal data.
Top Contact Center Features for Customer Service
If you don't leverage the best call center software features, you cannot run a business smoothly. Following are some of the essential features of top-notch contact center software:
- Automatic Call Distribution
- Call Control
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
- Call Recording
- Business Hour Management
- Integration History
- Employee Engagement
- Cloud-based Calling
- CRM Integration
- Reporting and Analytics
Thankfully, many call center software features include the best features to help businesses manage omnichannel communications. To name a few, a company can connect with its customers by phone, live chat, email, and social media. Call center software allows businesses to optimize and upscale in a growing contact center.
