IT service providers giving support away for free

Service providers give over a quarter of business service and support away for free

IT service providers are giving away an average of 28 per cent of their business service and support each year through a lack of insight into what customers are entitled to receive, according to research by consultancy Accenture.

The claim was supported by two online global surveys aimed at providers and customers. More than 650 senior executives from 11 countries were polled by Accenture regarding the state of business customer service in the communications services, communications equipment, electronics and high-tech industries.

"While there are some legitimate reasons why providers might give away tech­nical service - especially to their biggest, most important customers - lacking enough customer insight about what customers are entitled to receive is not a good enough reason to give it away at no charge,” said Accenture customer service and support senior executive Brian Sprague.

Another problem uncovered by Accenture's research was that just under a third of customers surveyed are looking to switch providers due to dissatisfaction with the quality of service they receive.

Improving customer experience and satisfaction was ranked by 70 per cent of service providers as their main business priority for 2009, while suppliers estimated a third of their future customer service and support revenue by 2013 will be from yet-to-be-defined support offerings.