The New York-based consulting and services firm surveyed more than 4,100 consumers over the summer and found that service — more than price — is a clear differentiator.

According to the online survey, 67% of respondents reported switching companies because of poor customer service, compared with 59% last year.  U.S. respondents were even more service sensitive, with 73% reporting that they switched companies owing to poor customer service, compared with 47% switching over lower prices.

Now, more than ever, is the time to challenge traditional practices.  In particular, organizations need to segment their customers.  That makes segmenting customers and understanding their touch-points with the business particularly important.

More survey results Other interesting results from Accenture’s survey include: U.S. respondents were also the least likely to believe the use of technology has improved customer service significantly in the past five years.  Consumers in the United States were just as likely to consider customer service as price when choosing a new provider, after switching from an established one.

Finally, organizations need to establish their customer service baseline and the diversity of their customer base.

What is the driving factor in how you spend your money, customer service or price?

Exchange hosting has become a popular solution for small- and medium-sized businesses that want the same class of messaging and collaboration as large corporations, but cannot afford the expense of hosting their own exchange.  Even large corporations have begun to view Exchange hosting as an alternative for maintaining quality while lowering overhead.  By using Exchange hosting, companies are able to save a significant amount of money.

In order to host their own exchange, a company would need to purchase all of the hardware, including everything needed to create the security and redundancy level needed for the company.  With a dedicated IT staff, it can take as long as 30 days for a company to get their internal exchange system fully operational.  Maintenance of an in-house exchange system can often take well over 80% of the senior technician’s time, making it necessary to have IT personnel specifically for the exchange. 

(more…)