Launched by the Institute of Customer Service to prevent essential customer service workers from being subjected to abuse, the campaign not only aims to raise awareness on the issues that key workers are currently facing but also encourages organisations to take action.
Recent research conducted by the Institute has shown that more than half of customer-facing staff have experienced abuse from customers since the start of the pandemic –ranging from verbal abuse such as shouting and abusive language to, in the most extreme cases, physical assaults.
The campaign calls for three things:
- A change to the law to protect customer service professionals – making abuse a standalone offence with legal redress.
- Business investment to ensure that customer-facing staff receive the training and support they need to equip them to deal with the increased requirements of their role.
- Customer tolerance that reflects that we are “all in it together”, with individuals considering the impact of their behaviour in the ongoing crisis
Group Director of Marketing Communications and Customer Success, Gary Jackson, said:
At Mears, we create proud and empowered colleagues. By supporting the Service with Respect campaign,we will be joining the efforts of many other organisations and helping to raise awareness of the zero-tolerance approach to hostility and abuse directed towards customer service workers.
The Institute along with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Customer Service has written an open letter calling on Government, businesses and customers to take action to address this issue.
For more information on the campaign and how you can support you can visit the Institute’s site: https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/news/service-with-respect/
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