3 Key Findings from customer service survey that nonprofits should heed

We’ve long wondered how much knowledge those involved in nonprofit fundraising could learn from benchmarking data about customer service that is acquired from industries outside of the charity sector. There is a great range of strong research about the satisfaction and experiences of customers with companies and in many cases we can substitute the word donor for customer to see how these results might influence a nonprofit. After all, the needs and expectations of a customer who purchases goods and services canl share many of the same values and needs of a donor that has chosen to support a given charity.

One such report I found informative is the 2014 Consumer Edition of the Customer Experience Management Benchmark Study which compiles powerful data relating to customer service, customer care and the overall customer experience. I wanted to share some data pertaining to how customers (or in our case donors) expect a business to interact with them and what frustrations they may have, all of which isn’t automatically identical to the needs of your supporters but there are enough commonalities to still take this information on board.

Prepare to impress. The report quite rightly expresses that few if any things are as important as the actual interaction with the customer and that each and every contact provides your organization with a defined opportunity to impress. Meeting and exceeding those expectations ultimately shapes exactly how your charity is perceived by your audience and can cement your overall reputation as these opinions will over time cement the reputation of your nonprofit. It’s important to remember that as important as your cause and goals are, the people who represent your charity will ultimately define the view held by your audience.

each and every contact provides your organization with a defined opportunity to impress

Are expectations being met? The study looked at customer perceptions about whether their ever-changing and it turns out increasing expectations are being met. It won’t surprise you to learn that almost every study shows a more savvy consumer who expect that technology and flexibility should match their needs when an issue arises. What is apparent from the table below is that many perceive that contacting customer care regardless of the type of experience is typically inconvenient (36%) or having had a bad experience previously decide not to take the time(19%), indeed even some said they didn’t know how to reach out (10%). Consider these numbers in full and think just how likely these customers will be to continue to give their business to a company who aren’t making it easy to resolve issues should they occur. Such data can translate to any sphere even if the results might shift to a certain degree. Here’s the really concerning of this analysis – almost 60% of those surveyed decided not to take action on a customer service issue for one of the reasons cited above. That means three in five people are left with issues unresolved and naturally a good ratio of those elect to no longer support that particular company. Consider if those same rates applied to donors who had issues to resolve for whatever reason.

Which customer contact tools are preferred? The data below shows which online tools customers are most likely to use when communicating with a company. Two important considerations pertaining to this are whether your organization currently provides the range of communication options that your supporters seek and also the fact that this is a rapidly changing technology which mirrors the needs and expectations of the general public. It’s not that long ago that online chat as a format for customer support was quite rare and now it’s become a standard on most websites, especially those that are customer facing and receive a large number of questions and issues to resolve. Such efficiencies are an important part of customer satisfaction and we’re quickly heading into an era where video chat support could become the new norm. As you’ll see below different tools are clearly preferred for various customer tasks. In summary, positive donor interaction and experiences are at the heart of your fundraising success and being flexible and having technology on the mark are important drivers to keep your donors believing that your interest extends far beyond the donation element of your relationship. When so many other surveys express that donors are stressing the importance of easy communication and clearer options to engage it’s critical to provide the platforms that both allow your audience to communicate as and when they need but also to resolve issues and answer questions exactly when they occur. Attention to such matters can be the difference between a one-time donor and a lifetime supporter for your organization. Ask yourself how well your donor care plan and overall plan for customer/donor support is performing and whether it is adequately equipped? Proactively addressing any issues within your websites and other communication channels can not only resolve any weaknesses but enhance the reputation of what you do and just how much you value your supporters.   ___________________________________________________________________________________ For nonprofit, nonprofit fundraising, CSR business and other news, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest or subscribe to our RSS feed. Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including PCI compliant inbound telephone fundraising, outbound telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery fundraising services, donation processing and receipting and direct mail fundraising services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all our business decisions and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.