Customer Service in a Digital World The importance of Customer service and use of technology has never been more important. How important are your values? @AdvanceTrack
Vipul Sheth ACA CTA, Founder and Managing Director, AdvanceTrack Outsourcing Vipul is a UK based ICAEW Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor. Vipul trained with a regional UK firm before moving to Ernst & Young and KPMG. AdvanceTrack is a UK Headquartered Accountancy Outsourcing Company with offshore operational centres, delivering services around the globe. AdvanceTrack demonstrates compliance with international security laws including GDPR through certification to ISO27001:2013 and BS10012 audited by BSI. Quality is certified to ISO9001:2015 and Business Continuity certified to ISO22301:2019.
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ur approach has always been to support accountants to put their clients at the focus of what they do. This doesn’t mean they need only do it for a short, or interim, period. It is about being consistent in your dealings with clients. You might ask yourself: ‘Why is this important?’ But, think about what happens when a client leaves. They will tell you that it’s because of the price, but it’s usually down to service levels - they use price as ‘cover’ for the real reasons. Clients like to have certainty in their dealings, and feel the service they receive is valuable.
Higher Consumer Expectations Think of your online deliveries. Whether we like doing business with businesses like Amazon or not, they have raised the expectation levels of consumers across the globe. Think back to a time, perhaps not that long ago, say ten years, when you ordered something online. If this arrived a week later, you were delighted. Now, if you’ve not received a confirmation within 24 hours, you’re on the phone or sending the retailer a message asking of its whereabouts. This change in expectation is not just in the retail world. It applies equally to professional services, such as accountancy, tax or bookkeeping. It is important that this relationship is managed well. Consider a retailer. The customer may buy only one item in that category each year, and may not have brand loyalty.
Fig. 1
For professional services, the client returns year after year. They don’t have to, and you have to remember that they are sophisticated consumers. When you consider how
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