The invisible impact of poor information management on customer satisfaction

In our current business world, largely digital by now, fast, error-free service is a must. Customers expect immediate answers to their questions and quick solutions to their problems. Unfortunately, many companies struggle with an invisible enemy: poor information management. When employees cannot find the right customer information or the most recent document within seconds, customer satisfaction is at risk. Long searches for information lead to slow responses, sometimes to incorrect answers, and most definitely to unnecessary frustration - internally, but also with the customer. This can cause customers to decide to switch to a competitor that does have its information flows in order.

The hidden costs of poor information management

Many organizations underestimate the impact of their information management problems. This is unfortunate to say the least, because the implications can be quite dramatic. Consider the following list of possible consequences of poor information management:

• Lost time: employees spend up to 30% of their workday searching for documents and data. This is time directly at the expense of customer-focused work.
• Errors and inconsistencies: outdated documents or unclear version numbers can lead to misinformation among customers, resulting in reputational damage.
• Low employee satisfaction: employees become frustrated when they have to constantly search for the right files and systems do not work together optimally. This increases the risk of burnout and employee turnover.
• Reduced productivity: poor access to information means inefficiency. Processes run slower, projects stagnate, and decision-making is unnecessarily delayed.
  
  

The solution: a solid information strategy

To avoid these problems, your organization must create a well-thought-out information management plan. To create such a plan, you must go through at least the following three phases:

• Inventory: analyze how information is currently stored and shared. What systems are being used? Where are the biggest bottlenecks?
• Centralize: make sure all important documents and data are managed in one place, with clear access rules and version control.
• Automate: leverage smart document management systems and search functionality so employees can find information quickly and efficiently.

Customer satisfaction starts with your internal organization

Good customer service, an important prerequisite for a high customer satisfaction score, starts with a well-organized internal information management system. Companies that have their information management in order respond faster, make fewer mistakes and thus increase both their productivity and customer loyalty. Want to increase customer satisfaction with your service or product? Then start with the basics: more efficient information management.