Poor Customer Service

Here is a great article on the results of poor customer service.

Service Gripes
A new survey reveals that 64 percent of shoppers have left a store in the past year due to poor customer service. What's the one factor that bugs them the most?

By Tamara Schweitzer Raben
Posted 6/ 8 11 at 2:00 PM | News, Sales, Consumer Products & Services, Retail

The way your salespeople interact with customers could be costing you business. According to a new Consumer Reports survey, which asked 1,010 adults about their customer-service experiences, 64 percent of respondents said they have left a store in the past year because of poor customer service. Among the top in-store customer gripes were rude and pushy salespeople, cited by 65 percent of respondents. Customers were least annoyed by having to wait in a long line at the checkout counter or wait for a scheduled repair.

The survey also asked about customer service over the phone, and found that 71 percent of respondents were most annoyed about the experience when they weren't able to reach a human on the phone. Additionally, 67 percent said they hung up the phone without getting their issue resolved. However, when asked about preference for handling a customer service issue, only 16 percent said they prefer to resolve the issue in person.

Consumer Reports National Research Center also looked at the best and worst companies and service providers in 21 industries. According to the findings, brokerage firms, eyeglass retailers and pharmacies were some of the highest-rated industries based on service, while computer tech support, TV, phone and Internet service providers earned some of the lowest scores. Consumer Reports takes a more in-depth look at the customer service industry in its July issue.