Digital learning and assessment specialist, eCom Scotland has become one of the first companies in the world to sign up to the Customer Excellence Pledge.
Aiming to identify learning system vendors that promise to provide elite customer service and support, the Customer Excellence Pledge is a program developed by the internationally-known Craig Weiss.
Craig, the lead analyst for The Craig Weiss Group, which provides analyst, advisory and consulting services to buyers and vendors in the learning technologies industry commented, “Support in the learning system space, as a whole, is not good. There are vendors who do an exceptional job but the fact remains that the number one reason people leave one learning system vendor for another is the support and service they receive.
“Consumers rarely ask in-depth questions about support when they do their RFPs. They focus on security, functionality and case studies but they should also ask probing questions around support.
“The industry itself does a poor job of monitoring customer service,” he acknowledged. “I talk to vendors who say, publicly, they have great support but, privately, acknowledge it’s either poor or below average.
“Something has to be done to ensure that, when you buy a learning system, you know upfront the level of customer service and support – hence the Customer Excellence Pledge.”
Vendors signing the Pledge agree to a set of four statements – with two checkpoints, validated by The Craig Weiss Group, to assess the ongoing level of elite support each vendor provides for its customers. Under the terms of the Pledge, vendors promise to:
- Provide exceptional customer support and service.
- Maintain high ethical standards in sales, service, and business.
- Take care of their customers’ needs and provide timely assistance – this including agreeing to respond to queries within 30 minutes during the vendor’s business hours, with daily follow-ups if applicable.
- Provide customers with a dedicated customer support/service member or team – to be the customer’s accessible point of contact.
Learning system buyers can check whether vendors have signed up to the Pledge by visiting the ‘FindAnLMS’ website, where those adhering to the Pledge will be indicated.
Craig Weiss explained, “No vendors pay any money to sign up to the Pledge. This initiative isn’t about generating money. Rather, it’s about a vendor backing up its customer service and support claims, with tangible results – and a signed pledge agreement.”
Commenting on the Customer Excellence Pledge initiative, Wendy Edie, eCom Scotland’s Managing Director, said, “Now in its 25th year, eCom Scotland has built its business by placing a premium on high production values and high-quality customer service. So, we welcome this new commitment to customer service excellence in the learning technologies sector – and we welcome our competitors aspiring to join us in providing the best customer service and support possible, through signing up to the Pledge.”
Further details of the Customer Excellence Pledge can be found here.