Every online retailer, it seems, say they offer ‘outstanding’ service but how many really do? How many customers have had the experience of buying from such companies only to get shipments late or damaged and when they call to wait in eternity queues only to be answered by less-than-knowledgeable agents?
The net effect of such unsupported claims, especially those contradicted by customers’ experiences is that it risk devalues the value of quality, causing buyers to think all of these firms are terrible. Do online retailers really want them to head back to the malls?
There is now a solution, STELLAService, which is reportedly the first completely independent customer service ratings agency. Through what it says are experienced and independent ‘Customer Service Analysts’, it has anonymously collected tens of thousands of data points across hundreds of customer service metrics for leading Internet retailers. This data will be utilized by consumers to make more informed online purchasing decisions and by companies to obtain crucial business and industry intelligence.
STELLAService intends to launch its STELLA Ratings later this month, which will provide it says the first ever in-depth analysis of the customer service quality and capabilities of the country’s 150 largest Internet retailers. These more objective ratings it believes avoids the issue of customer community-driven ratings that sometimes add biased reviews of a sellers’ service quality, which leaves consumers wondering what they should truly expect. Recent research from MIT reports the firm shows that online ratings and reviews can easily be swayed by a small group of highly active users, rendering those ratings unreliable.
STELLAService makes its money similar it says to J.D. Power & Associates and other business intelligence companies. It provides a wide range of information, benchmarking, and research services to organizations or individuals seeking in-depth business or industry knowledge.
“STELLAService was created to provide consumers with an unprecedented level of transparency around the customer service performance of online businesses,” said Jordy Leiser, co-founder and CEO. “Studies continue to show that customer service is one of the most critical factors in determining where online consumers shop, yet there is currently no available resource for consumers to completely and objectively benchmark one online store against another.
“By taking an independent approach in evaluating every possible element of the online customer experience, STELLAService will reveal a truly unbiased and comprehensive assessment of the kind of service someone is likely to get from an Internet retailer. This will fundamentally improve the way consumers make online purchasing decisions.”
STELLAService has assembled recognized industry experts and thought-leaders in the area of online customer service into its Advisory Council. Among them are Doug Lebda, Chairman and CEO of Tree.com and Dr. Valarie Zeithaml, Distinguished Professor of Services Marketing at UNC Chapel. The Advisory Council assisted in developing the world’s most comprehensive and dependable methodology for evaluating online customer service performance.
The STELLAService methodology is a mix of over 300 unique quantitative and qualitative dimensions, with elements appropriately weighted by vertical (i.e. apparel, electronics) to give more significance to the aspects of customer service that matter most.
The methodology’s weightings incorporate extensive consumer surveys and academic research through which the company has been able to determine the specific criteria that most significantly impact customer service performance for e-commerce companies. For example, convenient access to communication channels, fast delivery, easy returns and the helpfulness of contact center agents are key measurements, as are companies’ websites in both form and content. Taking into account hundreds of related factors, STELLAService will deliver what online consumers have never had before – a clear, comprehensive understanding of each retailer’s customer service performance.
“We aim to provide online consumers with complete and reliable information, which we obtain by thoroughly and objectively testing each retailer first,” says Leiser. “Currently, there is no available resource whereby online consumers can truly understand and differentiate retailers based on the quality of service they provide their customers. Our goal is to provide this information and to become the most trusted source for measuring and benchmarking customer service performance.”