The customer service hall of shame

This paper examines the reasons why some companies, in particular financial services companies, are listed on the MSN “Customer Service Hall of Shame” list year after year. This paper reviews the qualities service providers must possess in line with the SERVQUAL framework, in order to maintain customer loyalty. As the survey also publishes a ‘Hall of Fame’ list which identifies the top ten companies in excellent customer service, this paper will also investigate what these companies are doing that the others are not. In addition to analysing the survey results, the paper reviews related blogs to understand factors contributing to the perceptions of good or bad customer service. Recommendations are made for companies to improve their customer service.