There are a lot of components in an organization that contribute to its success, but study after study continues to illustrate that none make a greater difference than high levels of customer service. Here are the top 6 reasons why focusing on a world-class customer service organization should be a priority for every organization.

1. Increased sales – 86% of people say that customer service is the primary driver in their purchase decisions. This is true in both the consumer world and business-to-business.

2. Decreased customer defection – The better customers are treated, the more loyal they become. The more loyal they become, the less likely they will stray to a competitor.

3. Decreased customer conflict – The better customers are treated, the less likely they are to escalate situations to managers, and the more likely they are to accept the occasional faux pas.

4. Increased employee retention – Happier customers means happier employees. Happier employees are employees who stay around longer. This has profound implications in reducing the cost of onboarding and employee training.

5. More positive word-of-mouth – With the profound growth in social media useage, word-of-mouth – both positive and negative – is a powerful force that cannot be ignored.

6. Reduced employee recruitment costs – Do you think Disney has problems finding employees? Or Westin? Or Southwest Airways? Not a chance. Create a reputation of being a world-class customer service organization and people will be knocking at your door.

So how do you build a world-class customer service culture? Focus on the 4 ‘P’s – your policies, your processes, your people, and the practices they use. Train, measure, inspect constantly. Don’t leave it to chance!