June 15, 2010
ClickFox, the pioneering leader of customer experience analytics (CEA) software and solutions, today released the results of a survey conducted to understand what customer service issues frustrate consumers the most, and how they respond to negative experiences. The online survey delivered valuable insight into consumer tipping points and the true impact of poor service on satisfaction, loyalty and brand reputation.
When asked about their most frustrating experiences, 41% of respondents chose ‘having to speak with multiple agents, and starting over every time' as the top issue, further underscoring the importance of first contact resolution in driving increased satisfaction and more efficient service operations. 13.9% of consumers cited ‘rude and inexperienced representatives' as most frustrating, and another 9% chose ‘being kept on hold for long periods of time'.
The survey also asked consumers about their typical response to poor customer service, with the top choices being: escalating to a supervisor or manager (54%); telling family and friends about the experience (52%); and ceasing doing business with the company (40%). All of these reactions result in increased operations costs, lost revenue and severe brand damage, highlighting the critical role of service operations in maintaining and driving bottom-line growth for organizations. Interestingly, 20% of consumers said they would post their stories on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, which are sure to grow in popularity as an avenue for frustrated consumers to rant about customer service experiences publicly.
The survey also gave consumers an opportunity to enter open-ended comments about customer experiences that drove them to their ‘tipping point'. Nearly 2/3 of respondents took the opportunity to share their stories, with one consumer noting that "now, close to 10 years later I estimate I have shared this story with hundreds of people if not thousands", indicating the longstanding and often irreparable damage to the customer relationship.
Overall, the findings point to the powerful relationship between customer experience and revenue and highlight a critical need for companies to stop looking at service operations as cost centers, and instead view every interaction as an opportunity to increase satisfaction, build loyalty, and grow revenue.
Download the complete report, including detailed findings and analysis at:
http://web.clickfox.com/customer-tipping-point-survey-results/.
ClickFox's customer base includes leading organizations in the telecommunications, healthcare, financial services, insurance, technology and retail industries. With nearly 1 billion interactions processed every month, ClickFox is the market leader in processing, analyzing and improving customer interactions across industries and all interaction touch points.