• by Ray Schultz , February 28, 2019

Consumers are quick on the trigger — 96% will take action when a brand disappoints them, according to a study by Serenova. 

And they apparently have plenty to complain about — 77% have had a bad experience interacting with a brand in the last 12 months. 

In addition, 80% say they do not always have a seamless experience when purchasing across channels. 

Of the consumers polled, 77% are more likely to share and remember bad brand encounters. In addition, 62% won’t purchase again from an offending brand, 56% will not recommend the brand and 26% will share their outage on social media.

Also, 95% will complain directly to the brand. Email is the most popular way of doing so, according to Serenova.

The preferred channels for registering complaints are email (82%) and phone (81%) 

That means firms must have adequate email response mechanisms in place, and the ability to answer within the same day. 

Those that complain via online channels feel 20 hours is too long to wait for a reply. Of course, those that gripe by phone don’t want to wait even seven minutes, so contact centers also have to be on their game. 

Only 39% choose to complain via live chat, and 15% through social media. And 5% say they would never complain.

On a positive note, 73% of consumers will purchase from a brand that provides a good experience, 70% will recommend it and 23% will share their feelings in social media. 

The study adds 72% say a seamless cross-channel experience is important or absolutely crucial.

What constitutes good customer service? Knowledgeable staff,  friendly staff and quick resolution of issues are  cited by 72%. But only 34% cite having multiple ways to contact the brand.

The results are similar when it comes to what constitutes bad service. However, 66% are turned off by hidden costs and fees.

Serenova concludes: “If brands can’t improve the customer experience, they face a serious uphill battle to keep those customers and acquire necessary new ones.”

Serenova surveyed 3,000 consumers, 2,000 in the U.S. and 1,000 in the UK.