When we think of good or bad customer service we don’t always consider search engines. Maybe that’s because they are free services. And we rarely have direct contact with an employee as we use a search engine. So we see them in a different context than, say, a coffee shop or an auto dealer.
But search engines, like any business, do deliver customer service. Some do it very well, like Google. Others, could use some improvement.
Here are the most recent results from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, a leading survey done every year to gauge how industries and companies are serving their customers. As you can see Google is head and shoulders above the rest.
At the same time, Google’s market share in the USA is over 70% while Yahoo, MSN and Ask together are about 26% , barely more than a third of Google’s. (Data from Hitwise as reported by Google Operating System blog.)
Why does Google beat the competition in customer service rankings?
One, they give their customers what they want. They do search better than anyone else. Their results are fast, relevant and useful. They index new content faster than the others and they aggressively knock out spam sites. Customers have responded by switching and staying.
Two, they engage their customers very well. From blogs to new products and services to tools you can test and offer feedback on, they keep finding more and more ways to reach out to their users. And this is why they’re able to give people what they want better than the others. The effort they invest in engaging their customers pays off with priceless knowledge of what their customers really want, and how Google is doing giving it to them.
Three, they offer more value than the others. The speed and creativity with which Google offers new products, tools and services is mind-boggling. They never stop. And what they offer is almost always well-done and useful. Again, this is because they know what their customers want better than anyone, because they’ve taken time to get to know them.
It’s easy to say Google can do this because they’re so big and rich and powerful. But they haven’t always been. They started out as small and insignificant as any other successful technology company. They built their resources on their successes. And they created their successes by giving people a lot of value. They did it by serving their customers better than anyone else.
How could your company use these three lessons to dominate your market? How could you engage your customers better, then use that information to give them what they want better than anyone else? Crack that code and you’ll be the Google of your industry!
Other articles you might like:
- Google’s strength is offering value, engaging customers
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- Do Your Customers Use Twitter? (How to Find Out)
- Customer Feedback is Easy and Free
- Use customer service standards to engage customers and employees
Kevin,
An excellent and insightful post as ever.
I think we often overlook one other key element that drives a high perception of customer service by Google, and that’s a clearly demonstrated ignorance to the alternatives that exist out there.
Google is the internet to many people, and as long as it provides an effective conduit to pages the user requires – as any good search engine should – then it will broadly appeal.
The score of Yahoo! is also pretty high value and this is not surprising. I’d be surprised to see Bing going anywhere near the high 70s this time next year due to its hotchpotch start and lacking effective results for highly targeted searches.
I maintain Europe’s only news provider dedicated to customer service and I have to say I’ll certainly be considering Google’s powers of engagement as inspiration for future articles.
Thanks again, Kevin, for this great article.
Hi David – you’re right, many people do see Google as “the Internet”. And the company is the youngest of the search engines. What a spectacular brand position to have! I’m just glad they don’t seem to be resting on their laurels. Thanks for writing!