Customer Service Issues Vary by Region

Fifty-one percent of consumers cited “outstanding service” as a top reason they continue to do business with a company, according to the second annual Customer Experience Impact Report, a Harris Interactive study sponsored by RightNow Technologies. The survey recently was conducted online with 2,049 adults over the age of 18 responding. Here are some of the survey’s noteworthy findings.

* 80 percent of consumers will never go back to a company after a bad experience, up from 68 percent in 2006;

* 60 percent indicated “outstanding service” as a top reason they’d recommend a company;

* 60 percent of consumers cite speaking with a live agent via the telephone as the No. 1 way they want to interact with a company, while 26 percent said they prefer e-mail; and

* 56 percent find waiting on hold, listening to bad music or repetitive messages frustrating.

The report also revealed regional differences in how people react to various experiences. For example,

* Midwesterners are more likely to swear, feel their chest tighten or get a headache after a bad customer experience;

* Westerners are more likely to never return to a company or post a negative blog entry or online review after a bad customer experience;

* Southerners are more likely to register a complaint or tell others about their bad customer experience, and are least likely to swear; and

* Northeasterners are least likely to register a complaint, tell others or post a blog entry or online review after a bad experience.

Here are some other notable findings related to respondents’ recent bad customer service experiences:

* 74 percent said they registered a complaint or told others;

* 47 percent swore and/or shouted;

* 13 percent posted a negative blog entry or online review; and

* 29 percent got a headache, felt their chest tighten and/or cried.

For more information, go to www.rightnow.com .