If just to increase your bottom line, your organization should be paying attention to customer service. As a blog post  entitled “Companies That Ignore Customer Service are in Trouble” on Benzinga indicates,customer service can increase stock price:

Have you noticed the companies with a reputation for great customer service are also the companies that have seen better performance out of their stocks during these difficult fiscal times? Think of Southwest Airlines (LUV:NYSE) and Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) – companies known for going above and beyond for their customers all the while their stocks have appreciated 65% and 86%, respectively, over the past year.

The post makes the point that excellent customer service is a low-cost way to increase your profit. Making customer service a priority can really impact a company’s bottom line in the present, but also for future business. Customers are more likely to do repeat business with a company that has treated them well in the past.

In fact, according to findings in the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer survey, 91% of customers surveyed said that customer service is  a factor they consider when deciding to do business with a company, and will spend, on average 9% more when they receive excellent service. Read more about how the survey was completed and other interesting information gleaned from this study here.

These eye-popping statistics are really proof of how important customer service is to a company’s bottom line. To ignore customer service is to throw potential business away.