Customer service is an essential component of any business. Good customer service creates loyal customers who will return time and again for more purchases. Plus, it’s a good idea to invest in customer service even in times of economic struggle. It’s a lot easier to retain current customers by keeping them happy than it is to find new ones when poor customer service drives them away.
Good customer service can also help you gain new customers as your current ones recommend your company. It’s also a competitive advantage for your company. If your competitors aren’t able to provide the same level of customer service as your company, then it will give you an edge.
Customer Service and HRIS
If customer service is so integral a part of your own business, why would it be any less important in your search for the right HRIS for your company? When you’re looking for a HRIS, you are a customer of the vendor and should expect the same quality of customer service that you offer to your own customers.
No matter how good the functionality is of your HRIS, sooner or later your company will need assistance from the vendor. Just as your customers want good customer service and support from you, you’ll want the same treatment from your HRIS vendor. If you receive poor customer service, that can affect the functionality of the HRIS, how reliable the data entered into your system is, and even the satisfaction of your employees.
Customer Service a Source of Dissatisfaction
A recent study by Kelton Global examined the role of customer service in customer satisfaction with HRIS solutions. Customer service has been increasingly important when it comes to selecting an HRIS, but many vendors are falling behind in meeting their customers’ expectations for service. Kelton’s study found that an increasing number of HRIS purchasers regret their choice of HRIS primarily because of dissatisfaction with the customer service.
The number of customers who have experienced a customer service issue with their HRIS vendor has increased since 2016 to 84% of HR technology decision-makers. Some vendors have paid attention to this trend and say that it’s an important way to differentiate themselves from their competition. But according to Kelton Global’s study, that hasn’t yet translated into improved customer service for companies purchasing HRIS solutions.
Customer Service as Important as Functionality
When it comes to a HRIS solution, customer service is now viewed as being just as important as the functionality of the software. In fact, according to Kelton Global’s study, the decision-makers who choose a company’s HRIS are 56% more certain to value customer service over product functionality. This is because poor customer service from your HRIS vendor can affect your entire company.
Vendor customer service can affect everything from the success and efficiency of the implementation, helping it go smoothly if it’s good and dragging it out for far longer if it’s bad. Customer service, or customer experience (CX), can affect how well your HR staff can perform their jobs. It can affect how trustworthy the data is within your system. But your HR staff aren’t the only ones who use the HRIS that can be affected by poor customer service.
Poor customer service from your vendor can affect your entire staff. If your employees don’t trust your HRIS or have difficulty using it, their satisfaction and morale can suffer. Dissatisfied employees are more likely to search for jobs elsewhere, increasing turnover at your company.
In short, poor customer service from your HRIS vendor can end up costing your company both time and money.
Prioritizing Customer Service in Selecting an HRIS
HRIS decision-makers have been spending more time looking into a vendor’s customer service before selecting a HRIS. If an employee has an issue with the self-service portal of your HRIS, it’s HR that they’re going to talk to. HR will then need to spend their already precious time contacting the vendor’s customer support for help if it’s not a problem they can solve themselves. It’s therefore essential to prioritize customer service when you’re looking at a new HRIS.
However, good customer support isn’t a guarantee with vendors. Kelton Global’s study found that HR professionals reported long wait times when they called to report an issue. They also complained about a lack of knowledge about the product and about issues that arise. In addition, many didn’t have a dedicated contact at the vendor that they could call. This meant that in order to get an issue resolved, HR staff had to contact multiple people at the vendor.
It’s essential to keep these kinds of problems in mind when you’re looking for a new HRIS. The feature set of a HRIS is important, but if your HR staff can’t get the support they need to implement and to manage the system, that HRIS may not be the right fit for your company.
Source: hrpayrollsystems.net
