The total cost to the economy of workers resolving customer services problems from their workplace is £28 billion a year, new research reveals.
A recent poll, conducted by the Institute of Customer Service shows that service issues related to house purchases are the most time consuming, and therefore most expensive to organisations, costing an average of £2.5 billion a year.
This is followed by poor customer service at HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which is costing workers £2.4 billion of productive time a year. And problems with transport providers is costing organisations £2.3 billion.
The average cost per employee is £1,194 per year, with employees admitting that the quality of their work has suffered because of poor customer service experiences. In light of this, 60 per cent of UK employees believe there should be processes in place to enable customer service issues to be resolved outside of standard working hours.
Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, says: “The combined impact on employee time, productivity and wellbeing is a real concern, translating into a tangible loss for employers – and for the UK economy. There is a clear onus on companies to improve their customer service skills to protect the productivity of the UK workforce.”
Whilst we can’t help with all your customer service woes, we can take the pain of dealing with HMRC away from you. We are also able to advise on all aspects of tax whether compliance or planning.
Contact your usual Beavis Morgan Partner for further information and assistance.