1 in 10 go elsewhere if customer service fails

No second chances: 11% of consumers have switched to a competitor after just one attempt to resolve a problem.

One in ten consumers will take their business elsewhere if they don’t get a satisfactory response to a complaint or query the first time it is raised, research by Censuswide commissioned by Netcall has shown.

While 50% of people will keep going until a problem is resolved, 43% will immediately escalate the issue to a manager and 39% will try a different method of getting in touch.

The poll also highlighted the fact that more than a quarter (28%) of dissatisfied Brits will tell friends and family using Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms about their experiences with brands, retailers and other customer-facing organisations.

Richard Farrell, Chief Technology Officer at Netcall commented: “You never get a second chance to make a good first impression and, in today’s competitive markets, this has never been more important. Rather than making customers work to get the right outcome or, worse still, letting them slip through the net altogether, organisations should make the most of technology to help them get the right response the first time around – no matter how customers choose to engage.”

“By equipping agents with a complete customer history, firms stand a better chance of improving the amount of interactions that are resolved straight away – reducing future service costs, making customers feel valued and increasing the likelihood of repeat business.”

Common bugbears identified by callers speaking to customer service representatives included having to repeat information (58%) and being kept waiting (57%). A further 32% said agents lack sufficient knowledge to help and 22% said incorrect or inconsistent customer information was a problem. 15% of people also pointed to agents ‘superficial’ interest in responding to and understanding them.

The poll also showed that the younger customers are, the more important web chat becomes as an engagement channel for the business.