Date: August 26, 2020
Category: Blog
The customer experience is everything; it’s what sets you apart from your competitors. But how can you work to improve your customer experience if you don’t know what your customers want? Here are 10 customer service statistics you need to pay attention to…
1. 45 seconds is how long on average customers are willing to wait for a response via live chat. (Comm100)
Being quick with your responses makes all the difference in terms of customer retention. Think about the reasons why your customer has chosen to communicate via a particular channel- in this case, perhaps they’re in the middle of a busy day and they want an almost instantaneous and hassle-free response. Long delays simply won’t cut it.
2. 42% of customers are put off by rude or unhelpful customer service staff. (NewVoiceMedia)
If a customer is contacting customer service, they likely have an important query, an action that needs completing on their account, or a complaint to make. For this reason, customers will often be feeling stressed, concerned or even frustrated prior to getting in touch. Encountering a Customer Service Representative who is rude, unhelpful or uncaring can really push a customer’s frustrations further and increase the likelihood of them leaving. Providing the right training and coaching to the Customer Service Team is extremely important.
3. Speed of response (89%), speed of resolution (89%), and friendliness of representative (82%) are seen as the most important aspects of the customer service experience, regardless of channel. (Zendesk)
These customer service statistics back up the two previous points. Customers want a friendly and helpful experience, whilst getting their query resolved as soon as possible.
4. Once a provider loses a customer, 68% of consumers will not go back. (Accenture)
Losing a customer is something to be avoided at all costs, with the majority of customers steering clear of a brand for the foreseeable once leaving.
5. Customers who had the best past experiences spend 140% more compared to those who had the poorest past experience. (Harvard Business Review)
On the other hand, those customers who have received a stellar level of customer service and a top-notch customer experience return that investment by spending more compared to those customers with poorer experiences.
6. 83% of consumers report that if companies could provide customers with better live or in-person customer service, it would have impacted their decision to switch provider. (Accenture)
The trend is clear to see: a higher level of customer experience translates to a lower chance of customer churn.
7. 30% of consumers say not being able to reach a real human is the most frustrating part of a bad customer service experience. (Microsoft)
As we talked about in a recent article about the benefits of human customer service, there is certainly a place for automated solutions, but this doesn’t supercede human customer service. Lengthy IVR’s and chatbots that steer the customer around speaking with a human representative can hugely amplify any existing frustrations upon initial contact. Not only that, but this is also detrimental to the wellbeing of your Customer Service Team who are being placed in contact with a particularly frustrated customer, who would have been much less so had they had the chance to speak to someone sooner.
8. 86% of consumers are willing to pay up to 25% more for a better customer experience. (RightNow)
This customer service statistic shows just how important the overall customer experience really is to your customers.
9. 84% of organisations working to improve customer service report an increase in revenue. (Dimension Data)
Equally, this metric showcases the return on investment when investing in customer experience and a high level of customer service.
10. 80% of companies say they deliver “superior” customer service. When the same question is asked from customers, only 8% of people think these same companies are really delivering. (Bain & Company)
This customer service statistic is the reason customer feedback is so important. Whether your customer service function is in-house or outsourced, the team should have dedicated MI and customer feedback teams liaising with Marketing to provide important customer service insight.
If you need help with your customer service, then simply get in touch to find out how we can help.
