Service standards set to increase by 2020

The increasing adoption of technology by consumers is set to have a lasting impact on the public perception of quality, according to new research.

A report prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit at Binder Dijker Otte (BDO) Global has identified eight points that will impact on the effectiveness of both commercial operations and nonprofit groups alike for the rest of the decade.

Covering 479 business leaders from around the world, the Service 2020 paper shows how increased levels of consumer connectivity have begun to result in rising expectations in terms of speed, quality and service provision.

According to Tony Schiffmann, chair of BDO Australia, clients and stakeholders alike will begin to demand better solutions from all their interactions - with faster turnarounds, increased accuracy and more personalisation.

Schiffmann explained: "While service can sound like an ambiguous term, your customers inherently know whether you deliver great service or not."

The chair continued to say that successful organisations will begin to embrace excellence in terms of client interactions as the main point of differentiation.

"The quality of the customer experience is the added dimension which will impact businesses, regardless of their size, or whether they are operating from a shopfront, office or online."

With globalisation increasing commercial service availability, rising levels of competition will swerve to drive up consumer expectations.

For charities and community groups, this means that dealings with members of the public and external stakeholders will come with an added element of expectation that can be hard to meet without additional support.

With limited resources, technology donations can provide a welcome boost to the online capacity of many nonprofit organisations across the country.

Schiffmann explained: "Customer service has never been as important to business as it is now, with good service set to become a key competitive differentiator in a global marketplace, with new technologies playing a huge role in doing so."

This is especially true when considering the rapid increase in adoption of consumer items such as smartphones and tablet devices that is helping to drive up this new-found 'need for speed'.

On top of this, these new technologies are enabling more personalised communications through Facebook and Twitter, which in turn is producing consumer demand for interaction and accountability through these social channels.

While these mediums can seem daunting to the uninitiated, discounted software and pro-bono training sessions can help to make a difference - allowing nonprofits to connect with some of the more niche elements in their field and drive communications, rather than passively reacting to interactions.