The Church of the Customer Blog points to a study from The Verde Group and The Wharton School that discusses the causes of consumer dissatisfaction.
Among the interesting findings:
- Shoppers experiencing problems are five times more likely to tell a friend and colleague than contact the company
Importance: Companies can't take a reactive approach to dealing with consumers. They need to pay attention to larger conversations, (not just the success of their manufactured messages) and take advantage of opportunities to engage customers.
- Negative word of mouth influences future patronage up to five times more than the person who experienced the problem first-hand
Importance: Companies don't control the conversations that really matter. By engaging communities on their terms, they can help mitigate bad word-of-mouth with genuine service and sincere communication.
- One of the top problem areas is poor product knowledge and lack of courtesy from front-line staff
Importance: Companies need to invest in employee training, improved communication and education. Employees need to be encouraged and empowered to provide exceptional customer service.
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