Got a Complaint? Take Your Money Elsewhere

For unhappy customers, complaints may not be the first option.

In fact, for many, the response to a poor experience is to take their money elsewhere.

Nearly half of consumers will stop doing business with a brand that frustrates them, according to a newly published CMO Council study conducted in Q4 2016.

By contrast, about one-third said they would send a complaint via email or company form, and a similar number said they would complain in person.

But the most commonly cited responses tended to be dramatic: Abandon the brand that’s delivering a bad experience.

A separate survey found that communicating with customer service via phone call had the highest instance of resolving a customer service inquiry the first time around, according to a Northridge Group (NRG) study.

Six in 10 US internet users polled said they typically could resolve an issue over the phone with a single call. Only 34% of consumers said the same of email, reported Northridge, a customer experience consulting firm.

Digital chat was nearly as effective as phone calls, with 54% of the respondents saying that a single engagement did the trick.

Social media, text message and email scored at the bottom, with 30% or more of the customers saying that it took three, four or even more contacts to get to resolution.

Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash