Customers benefit from online comments
July 01st 2010 New research questions the business impact of investing valuable resources in social media tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. What customers really want from British business, says Chris Dee, executive director of BCAS, is to be able to make a comment, post a review or lodge a complaint directly on companies' websites.
The latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) by the Institute of Customer Service shows that providing space for onsite reviews of products and services is five times more important to UK consumers than a company having a Twitter account and three times more important than offering a Facebook page or group.
Jo Causon, chief executive at the Institute of Customer Service, comments: "Businesses must wake up to the fact that the relationship between companies and their customers has changed irrevocably. Customers now hold the power, and they expect to be able to make their voice heard by sharing their experiences with the world online.
“By denying customers the right to reply on an open platform, businesses not only irritate consumers – they miss the opportunity to gain valuable feedback, leaving them unaware of, and unable to, rectify, problems as soon as they arise.”
Two years ago, BCAS recognised this and working with its partner Referenceline, developed an innovative online customer satisfaction programme that became the BCAS AirSAFE Register. From 1 July 2010, all members of BCAS are listed on this register and, because the programme asks all customers the same set of questions the results can be benchmarked. This will give customers the confidence that they are dealing with capable and competent companies that operate in accordance with the BCAS Code of Practice and, more importantly, have been recommended by other customers.
To see how easy the AirSAFE Register is for you to use and locate a company simply click on the AirSAFE Register link which can be found on the BCAS website: www.bcas.org.uk More articles from British Compressed Air Society (BCAS): | 
