After Monday’s post on the collective genius of the folks at KlearGear.com, a reader reached out with a question.
(Photo credit: suttonhoo)
“I buy in to your thoughts on how customers ought to be treated, but is there research to support your statements about how doing business the right way (with a customer focus) actually translates into better business?” Funny you should ask!
This from the Connected Customer blog from the folks at Liveperson:
Today’s savvy consumers want access to information and support instantly, and if they don’t find what they need quickly, they will look for it somewhere else. Our study tells us that, on average, consumers won’t wait more than 76 seconds if they need help during their online journey. The research indicates that 49% of consumers continue to find websites difficult to navigate, with 33% struggling to seek help or locate customer service.
The folks at MediaPost’s Research Brief summed it up nicely:
Every interaction with a brand can either drive customer loyalty, or lead to abandonment to a competitor, says the report. The repercussions of a negative digital experience have never been higher, and the result of a positive experience is becoming increasingly more valuable. 84% of online users say brand trust is a result of a positive online experience. In addition, the vast majority say that a positive online experience makes it more likely for them to complete the purchase with the company and to buy from a company again
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78% of consumers agree that they are more likely to be loyal to companies that give them a great experience and service online
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The result of a poor online interaction with a brand is abandonment of the transaction (45%), a negative perception of the company (45%), loss of trust (43%), and loss of a customer to an alternative website (41%)
So to answer the question, yes, treating customers as if they were family members or dear friends does have measurable positive effects. We don’t need research, however, to tell us that suing our customers is a bad idea. Almost as bad as having customer service people who can’t be reached by customers or who treat those customer complaints as annoyances rather than a problem a friend is having.
Does that make sense?
Consult Keith 
Amazon has great customer service. I contacted them online after my daughter dropped her kindle fire on concrete. I was shocked when they said they would replace it for free when all I was looking for was a discount on a new one since it was still under warranty. I’ve been loyal to Amazon for years, but this was my first experience with contacting customer service because they always deliver great service.
I appreciate Amazon’s accessibility. My other daughter has cell service though Page Plus Cellular. Their customer support is difficult to access. It’s hard to find their support number on their own website. I had to do a google search to find it. I called only to learn that they don’t open until 9am. Forget about trying to call on a holiday. Service oriented businesses should be accessible or at least outsource services that they know are needed during busy times. My daughter is getting a new cell phone for Christmas. She’ll also be getting a new wireless carrier to go along with it since I know Page Plus won’t be able to activate her new phone for a few days. They are losing a customer due to their lack of customer service. They have a good and reliable product, but not being able to access help when I need it is driving me away.
Yes, makes perfect sense. BTW, I like the new look.