CSC's outstanding customer service and professionalism were key factors in the company's success over leading national competitors in a recent blind survey

More paralegal professionals prefer to use Corporation Service Company as their registered agency than any other, and they are more likely to recommend CSC to their colleagues, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by an independent research company.

CSC beat the leading competitors in virtually all of the categories surveyed, and at the same time increased its own ratings from similar independent surveys conducted in 2000 and 2002. The statistical analysis of the data revealed that, with a confidence level of 99 percent, CSC was rated significantly higher than the leading competitor.

"We are really excited about the results," says Steve Gades, VP of Operations for CSC. "The survey reaffirms that we absolutely have the right focus, and are making a real difference for our customers."

Of the 400 paralegals surveyed, a significant majority say they prefer to use CSC as their registered agent company, compared other national competitors. The same pattern exists when choosing a UCC service company. Customers prefer using CSC to the competition.

"We inspire confidence in our customers," says Gades. "Whether they have a complex deal or a single filing that needs to be done, they're going to come to us because they know we'll get it done right, and we'll get it done on time. And that's what they're telling their colleagues."

Customer Service Sets CSC Apart

CSC's high ratings are due largely to the company's commitment to customer service. Nearly 100 percent of respondents rated CSC's employee professionalism as excellent. Similarly, almost all of the respondents rated CSC's Customer Service Representatives' knowledge and their ability to answer questions as excellent. "Quite honestly, [CSC] gives great quality of service. They are very quick to follow up and respond to any problem," one of the survey participants commented.

"What came through at the end of the day is that we focus on what the customer needs and wants then deliver over and over again. Our customers have come to depend on our reliability and service. We treat the customer's request with the same sense of urgency and importance as they do. Our customers deserve this type of attention," says Gades.

"The survey reflects CSC's continued commitment to providing high levels of customer service," agrees Jackie Smetana, CSC's VP of Human Resources and Organizational Development. "We've got the right products and services, and most importantly, the right people, which is why we continue to out perform the competition."

CSC also scored high marks for Customer Service Representative (CSR) availability, prompt callbacks, meeting deadlines, accuracy and keeping customers apprised of the status of requests. "Our people excelled across the board," Smetana asserts, and credits the ratings to the fact that CSC's CSRs have the freedom to service each customer in the best possible way.

"Sometimes companies can't get out of their own way, and their people find themselves hobbled by processes," Smetana explains. "We fight hard against that, to ensure that we remain flexible and keep the decision-making where it needs to be, with the employees who work directly with the customers."

For example, CSC customers can choose to work with CSC via fax, phone, or Internet, says Smetana, and when they call, real people answer the phones. Also, any CSR can service a client with equal efficiency. "That is a big difference between CSC and other registered agents," Smetana notes.

Tools and Technology Help Customers Leverage Data

In addition to CSC's outstanding service, the company's computer-based tools contributed to the company's high survey results.

Respondents were asked to rate four computer-based tools provided by registered agents, and of the four, CSC IncSpot rated substantially higher than the others. Respondents indicated that IncSpot is easy to use, and were satisfied with the forms, database access, and information provided by the system. In fact, during the survey one paralegal commented that "[IncSpot] is a very user friendly website and it is very easy to pull out any of the forms you may need." Another survey participant added that IncSpot is "perfect for what I do."

"We've really worked hard over the last few years to be not just a registered agent company, but a solution provider that lets customers get most out of their data," Steve Gades explains. "Our customers need tools to help them operate their businesses more efficiently and more effectively, and they don't want to have to build new tools or struggle to figure out how to use them. Our tools are powerful and user-friendly, allowing customers to begin leveraging their information immediately."

Staying Great, Getting Better

CSC's Smetana and Gades are as pleased about beating their own previous ratings as they are about staying ahead of the competition. "We are always looking to raise the bar on expectations for ourselves, and it's significant that the legal community recognizes that," Gades says, citing such examples as CSC's increased rating in meeting deadlines over the 2002 survey.

"We were stronger in some areas of the country than others and we are beginning to see some competition from smaller regional companies," Gades explains. "Our task now will be to continue reaching out to all our customers, showing them that we have scalable solutions, and can attend to their needs more accurately, more quickly and more professionally than any other company."

"What we need to do now is to continue to improve. We cannot rest on these results," adds Smetana. "We will focus on what is working well and how we can service our customer even better in the future. It starts with having the right people with the right focus on customer service. But that is only the beginning. Next time around, I'm confident we'll beat our best."

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