Measuring Success in Customer Service

Measuring customer service success goes beyond metrics alone. Lee Ann Crochunis, Deputy Director, emphasizes that while it's important to track whether a problem was solved, understanding how it was solved is just as critical. Crochunis advocates for a balanced approach, encouraging teams to talk to people directly, rather than relying solely on surveys or scripted feedback. Conversations can reveal valuable insights that enrich structured data and provide a deeper understanding of the customer experience.

Before we dive in, we encourage you to review this White House document on managing customer experience and improving service delivery. It mentions key customer experience (CX) facets, including Ease, Efficiency, Transparency, Humanity, and Employee Interaction, which we will explore further below. These elements play a crucial role in shaping how customers see and engage with OIT. By focusing on these areas, we can spot opportunities to improve and create a smoother, more satisfying journey for our customers. It’s not just about building better products and services, it’s about how we interact with people every day. Embracing these principles can benefit OIT and CMS by making our work more impactful. 

Ease

How simple and straightforward is it for customers to interact with the product, service, or people?

• Survey Simplicity: Use surveys to gauge how easy customers found the process. Ask specific questions like, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy was it to navigate our service?” This direct feedback helps pinpoint friction points in the customer journey. Check out this article with additional tips on how to increase survey responses, RSVPs to your events, and other feedback.
• User Experience Testing: Regularly test the user experience by walking through the service processes as if you were a customer. Identify any bottlenecks or confusing steps that could be simplified.
• Accessibility Metrics: Track the usage of various support channels (phone, chat, email) and analyze which methods are preferred by different customer segments. This can reveal insights into how accessible your service is to various demographics.

Efficiency

The speed and resourcefulness with which customer issues are addressed and resolved. You can see this facet in of customer experience in action in the example below: 

Kathy Heuschele demonstrated the importance of following through on promises during a complex, two-month audit process for OIG auditors. She coordinated role-based training, monitored progress, and ensured the timely completion of job codes for 13 OIG testers. Her diligence and responsiveness earned high praise from the audit liaison, who described her support as outstanding. Kathy’s commitment to her responsibilities illustrates how following through on promises can lead to successful outcomes and strong customer relationships.

Read on for additional tools that will help you track efficiency.

• Resolution Time Tracking: Implement tools that measure the average time taken to resolve issues. Set benchmarks for different types of problems and work on reducing these times without compromising the quality of the solution.
• First-Contact Resolution Rate: Measure the percentage of issues resolved on the first contact. A high rate here indicates that your team is both efficient and knowledgeable, reducing the need for customers to repeatedly reach out.
• Automated Feedback Collection: Use automated systems to follow up with customers immediately after an issue is resolved, asking if their problem was resolved to their satisfaction and in a timely manner. This immediate feedback is crucial for real-time performance adjustments.

Transparency

The clarity and openness in communication with customers, ensuring they are fully informed throughout the process.

• Communication Audits: Regularly audit the communication process by reviewing emails, chat logs, and call recordings. Check for clarity, accuracy, and frequency of updates to ensure customers are well-informed.
• Customer Feedback on Communication: Include specific questions in customer surveys about the transparency of the service process. For example, “Did you feel well-informed about the status of your issue throughout the process?”
• Proactive Updates: Track how often customers are given proactive updates about their issues before they must ask. This metric can help gauge the effectiveness of your communication strategies.

Humanity

The empathy and personalized attention given to customers, making them feel valued and understood.

• Empathy Scores: Include empathy as a measurable factor in customer service evaluations. For example, use a scoring system where customers rate how well they felt their concerns were understood.
• Personalization Metrics: Track the usage of customer names, preferences, and past interactions in conversations. Personalized service often leads to higher satisfaction, so monitoring this can provide insight into how well your team is connecting with customers.
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Scores: Regularly measure CSAT scores, focusing on emotional satisfaction rather than just problem resolution. For example, ask customers, “How satisfied were you with the way you were treated during this interaction?”

Employee Interaction

The quality of interactions between customers and staff, focusing on professionalism, friendliness, and helpfulness.

• Training Program Effectiveness: Measure the impact of customer service training programs by comparing interaction quality before and after training. Look for improvements in professionalism, friendliness, and helpfulness.
• Customer Loyalty Metrics: Analyze the correlation between interaction quality and customer loyalty. Customers who have positive interactions are more likely to return and recommend your services, making this an important measure of success.

Measuring customer service success goes beyond simply solving problems; it involves understanding how effectively and empathetically those solutions are delivered. Focusing on Ease, Efficiency, Transparency, Humanity, and the quality of Employee Interactions, will lead to stronger relationships, higher customer satisfaction, and ultimately, long-term success. 

Read Handling Difficult Situations with a Customer Service Mindset, part two of a three-part series focused on embracing a customer service mindset across OIT here.