2014 is right around the corner and now is the time to start thinking about your overall customer service capabilities, strategy and resource allocation. Do you have the right call recording and quality monitoring technology in place, for example?  Are you focused on the right metrics?

Below are several important statistics from this year to help you focus your efforts for next year so you can increase your overall customer satisfaction.

42% of service agents are unable to efficiently resolve customer issues due to disconnected systems, archaic user interfaces, and multiple applications. (Forrester)

89% of consumers have stopped doing business with a company after experiencing poor customer service. (RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report)

Consumers are 2 times more likely to share their bad customer service experiences than they are to talk about positive experiences. (2012 Global Customer Service Barometer)

Consumers still prefer telephone assistance the most - Phone (61%), email (60%), Live Chat (57%), online knowledge base (51%), “click-to-call” support automation (34%). (eConsultancy)

70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated. (McKinsey)

Almost 10% of consumers have experienced being transferred from agent to agent without any resolution of their problem. (American Express)

A 10% increase in customer retention levels result in a 30% increase in the value of the company. (Bain & Co)

The probability of selling to a new prospect is 5-20%. The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60 – 70%.  (Marketing Metrics)

For every customer complaint there are 26 other unhappy customers who have remained silent. (Lee Resource)

On average, agents spend 11% of their time looking for information needed to manage customer interactions. (Aberdeen Group)

46% of contact centers identify improving agent productivity and utilization as a main objective. (Aberdeen Group)

Only 26% of companies have a well-developed strategy in place for improving the customer experience. (Econsultancy MultiChannel Customer Experience Report)

A good, inexpensive and easy to install call recording and quality monitoring system can help you address these and many more customer service needs.