Unemployment line for the Maytag repairman? (customer service) (Keeping Informed)

Why do customers switch to competitors? In a recent Forum Corporation survey, an overwhelming 40 percent of 2,500 respondents claimed that they jumped ship as a result of poor service. Less than 9 percent of respondents named either inferior product or cost as a reason for making the switch.

That's the kind of data that propelled Booz Allen & Hamilton Inc. to reexamine customer service. The management and consulting firm discovered that information technology, in combination with traditional customer service techniques, can provide specific customer profiles and up-to-the-minute information on products and services at any location.

By utilizing information …