“I would pay for better customer service.” Have you heard or ever said that declaration? It comes up time to time in service-related conversations. Hell, Oracle Media Relations released a European study last year that stated “81 per cent of shoppers are willing to pay more for better customer experience.” On this side of the pond, in an American Express Global Customer Service Barometer, it was found two thirds of consumers say they are willing to spend more with a company they believe provides excellent customer service. That’s a lot of people willing to shell over more money to be treated better than they feel they are currently being treated.

So, would you spend more to get more? (unless you took these surveys and then we already know the answer). I’m going to put my journalism hat on for a moment and get all “W5″ on this.

WHAT are you offering? It must be something you weren’t offering before. And please don’t say you’re offering “better customer service” because that implies it was “worse service” before. Perhaps your business is looking to improve access to support (speed or availability) or add service features…but they have to be worth it in your customers’ minds for them to pay more.

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