Published on the 01/10/2010 | Written by Newsdesk
A survey has found that only five percent of Australian consumers feel that a company has exceeded their online customer service expectations…
The study commissioned by RightNow sampled the views of 700 Australians regarding customer service in the lead-up to the Christmas retail season, and also National Customer Service Week, which commences on October 4th.
The study concludes that failing to provide online customer experiences that meet or exceed customer expectation may have serious repercussions for businesses.
One in five people questioned felt that the customer experiences served up online by Australian organisations fall short or do not meet their expectations at all.
80 percent of consumers said that if a company doesn’t live up to expectation they will actively look for alternatives. Of that figure, 30 percent stop doing business with the company altogether. At the same time, four out of every five (80 percent) people have made a purchase online over the past 12 months, while 79 percent will be turning to online stores to aid their 2010 Christmas shopping.
A similar survey of UK consumers conducted in September by RightNow also found that nearly half (48 percent) of businesses are still not meeting consumer expectations when resolving issues or finding information online. As a result, 43 percent of UK consumers reduce business with a company and more than a third (36 percent) stop doing business with a company completely.
