(ARA) - If you receive bad customer service from
a company on the telephone, through e-mail or a Web site this holiday
season, you are likely to take your business elsewhere next time, a
recent study shows.
Research co-sponsored by Kelly Services and Purdue
University’s Center for Customer-Driven Quality shows that an overwhelming
majority of consumers formulate their perceptions of a company, and
their decision to buy from them again, based on their experiences with
the company’s customer service contact center.
In the survey, 92 percent of consumers reported
that their encounter with customer service personnel influenced their
image of the company they had called. Just as advertising impacts a
company’s brand image, call centers play an important role in a company’s
identity.
“In today’s highly competitive marketplace, matters
handled properly through a company’s call center can help ensure customer
loyalty,” says Benae Smart, manager of KellyConnect, the Kelly Services
unit that provides trained staff to customer service centers. “Having
company representatives trained to ensure a positive customer service
experience is crucial to maintaining a strong brand image and keeping
customers coming back.”
Call centers today are a vital link in connecting
businesses to consumers. Americans reach out for assistance to customer
service centers more than 10 billion times a year. The typical caller
is between 26 and 55 years old and usually educated, with more than
half having at least a four-year college degree.
Consumers use the telephone for 85 percent of
contacts; 8 percent are made through e-mail and 7 percent through a
Web site. The most frequent reasons for contacting a call center are
to seek information about a product or assistance with a company’s services.
It’s your call
The Kelly-Purdue study reveals that 63 percent
of consumers will stop using a company’s products or services based
on a negative call center experience. Among those calling to express
dissatisfaction with a product or service, 86 percent were more likely
to stop using the company if their experience with the customer representative
was negative.
Conversely, a mere 16 percent of consumers report
that a call center had exceeded their expectations. Of those satisfied
consumers, 95 percent will use the company again. This demonstrates
that when customers do receive outstanding service they become more
loyal, and are therefore more likely to re-purchase from the company.
“For the average consumer, dealing with a less-than-great
call center can be a dreaded experience,” says Dr. Jon Anton, director
of Benchmark Research at Purdue University’s Center for Customer-Driven
Quality. “The research shows that a call center is often the only point
of contact for a customer with a company and is now, more than ever,
a strategic differentiator.”
For more information on the Kelly/Purdue research,
visit www.kellyconnect.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
