2021 Survey Reveals Consumer Attitudes on Customer Service

2021 Survey Reveals Consumer Attitudes on Customer Service

How Customer Service Impacts Brand CX

How does customer service impact brand loyalty? What do consumers value most when interacting with customer service? How do privacy preferences play a role in customer service satisfaction?

Last month, we surveyed 500 U.S. consumers to gauge attitudes toward brand-provided customer service. Key findings from Treasure Data’s “Consumer Survey: Attitudes, Expectations, and Preferences for Customer Service” are summarized below, and you can download a copy of the report.

Preferences on Privacy and the Use of Customer Data

Preferences on Privacy and the Use of Customer Data

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When asked whether the use of previously collected customer data further facilitates the customer service experience, most consumers (75%) agree that the use of their data helps improve customer service experiences. While most customers are not amenable to sharing their login information and location, the majority would allow the use of company purchase history, preferences, and website behavior during the customer service interaction.

Key Insight: Consumers welcome your use of their customer data to create a more streamlined and personalized experience; however, the use of their data must be balanced by a respect for their privacy. For example, use of their location and IP address should only be used if absolutely necessary.

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How Customer Service Impacts Brand Loyalty

How Customer Service Impacts Brand Loyalty

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The majority of consumers state that a positive customer service experience increases their loyalty to a brand or company. Eighty-nine percent of respondents “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that a positive customer service experience increases their loyalty to a company or brand.
In addition to helping with customer loyalty, customer service may help bring in new customers in the first place. Eighty-six percent of respondents “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that they’re likely to buy a product or service from a brand that has good customer service.
When asked about the importance of customer service when engaging with the healthcare industry, 92% of respondents said the quality of customer service was “extremely important” or “very important.” When engaging with the banking industry, 89% of respondents chose these same labels.

Key Insight: Consumers hold brands to a high standard of customer service and expectations vary based on industry (i.e., healthcare is held to a particularly high standard). If you deliver on consumers’ customer service expectations, however, you can expect them to remain loyal to your brand.

What Do Consumers Value Most?

What Do Consumers Value Most?

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When asked what factors are most important in a customer service interaction, respondents identified their top three from a list of choices. Our survey found that consumers most value speaking to only one representative (47%), fast resolution time (46%) and effective listening (45%).

Most consumers (81%) prefer speaking with a real person over a chatbot or virtual agent. Only 7% of respondents “strongly prefer” a chatbot. Respondents prefer engaging with real people because they’re more efficient in resolving issues. They also prefer the ease of communication with real people. As for the mode of communication, consumers prefer to interact with real people over the phone.

Key Insight: While it’s fine to employ chatbots and virtual agents on your website and in your app, make your customer service calling experience a priority. Empower your teams to let each customer service representative resolve issues (i.e., avoid escalations) as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Better Customer Service with Unified Customer Data

These are just a few of the insights and data in the report. To see the full results of Treasure Data’s 2021 Consumer Survey: Attitudes, Expectations and Preferences for Customer Service, download it here.

Get the report

Tom Treanor
Tom Treanor
Tom Treanor was head of marketing at Treasure Data. He focuses on marketing, martech, CDPs, and digital marketing. Follow him on Twitter @RtMixMktg.
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