What could be positive about an unhappy customer?
Consider it a second chance. Integrated marketers who monitor conversations about their business and act quickly to address customer complaints have an opportunity to turn customer frowns around.
A survey commissioned by RightNow called the Consumer Experience Impact Report indicates what consumers expect in terms of service and responsiveness, and how fast they go elsewhere when a company fails to deliver. Here are some of the key takeaways from the study.
Good Service Pays
A whopping 86 percent of respondents said they’d pay more for a better customer experience.
But if your customer doesn’t have a good experience, don’t let them go away mad! The time to address a complaint is short: half of those surveyed give a company just one week to respond to a question before they go elsewhere. And once they leave, they don’t come back: 89 percent take their business to a competitor after a bad experience.
Bad News Travels Fast
After experiencing poor service, 26 percent of consumers went and posted a negative comment on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter.
Astonishingly, 79 percent of consumers who went online to complain about poor service had their complaints ignored! This is a missed opportunity for many businesses. For more tips on how to handle negative feedback, see our post on What To Do With A Bad Online Review.
Converting Critics
Here’s the silver lining. A simple reply can make all the difference and give your business a chance at turning a negative experience around. According the CEI report, here’s what happened when a company responded to a customer’s complaint:
Satisfaction – Of the 21 percent who got a response to their complaint, over half felt positively about the same company they were previously dissing.
Advocacy – 22 percent posted a positive comment about the organization.
Four Things Customers Want
- Answers – 52 percent want easier access to customer service help and information before purchasing. Don’t hide your contact information!
- Info – 36 percent want easier search capability and overall website usability.
- Responsiveness – 58 percent complained that the company was unavailable by phone and e-mail.
- Promptness – 56 percent said companies are too slow to resolve issues.
Good Service is a Competitive Advantage.
Every business needs to build trust with its customers in order to grow. If you can deliver what consumers want and defuse complaints promptly, your customers will reward you with long-lasting, loyal relationships.
