A survey carried out by Sage UK, an accountancy software company, has revealed that 30 percent of customers would stop trading at a company if they had a poor experience, without giving any second chances. The research asked the opinions of 2000 consumers in the UK, and discovered that a third of consumers wouldn’t put up with any bad customer service.

Almost half of the people who responded placed a greater emphasis on quality customer service, expecting companies to provide extra care for their customers as economic conditions became difficult. Just over a fifth of consumers surveyed believed that companies were doing more to keep customers happy, while almost 25 percent thought that companies were not making enough effort to care for customers.

According to the originator of the WOW! Awards for customer service, Derek Williams, businesses had to cut back during the economic downturn, just at the time when consumers were expecting higher standards from companies. He said:

“Businesses are under pressure. The general public are under pressure. Inflation is going up, energy prices are going through the roof, people can’t sell their homes, they can’t borrow money. Businesses are trying to maintain their service levels even though they are under enormous cost pressures.”

Gary Young, the head of customer service for accountants division of Sage UK believes that tolerance of consumers has been altered by the increasing popularity of ecommerce. Customers can go from business to business with minimal effort online, and expect extra effort from businesses. Williams stressed that dealing with customer complaints in a positive manner and taking them seriously was essential to build a loyal customer base.

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Gary Fields

Content Writer working alongside our expert accountants to bring you the latest Tax and Accounting news.

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