Customer service levels still a major challenge for e-tailers

[March 20th 2000]

Only 36% of e-customers are satisfied with their Internet purchasing experiences, declares a groundbreaking study conducted by International Customer Service Association (ICSA) and e-Satisfy.com (formerly TARP). This recently completed investigation delves into new dimensions of the customer service frontier and provides a benchmark for expectations and behaviour in the new e-commerce models.

Surveying over 50,000 customers who had electronically contacted one of the sixteen sponsored companies, this study took an all-encompassing approach in evaluating the progress of customer service within e-commerce. The study also solicited responses from e-commerce as well as brick and mortar companies to gauge how they are providing customer service over the Internet and the realities that they are facing.

Some of the findings of the study include:

• E-customers have higher expectations for both acknowledgment and final response time than company service standards.

• Only 36% of e-customers are satisfied with their electronic contacting experience.

• Poor handling of e-contacts create 30-48% lower customer loyalty among the two-thirds of e-contactors who are not satisfied.

• E-customers across all industries expect acknowledgment of their e-contact within one hour. However, only 12% receive an acknowledgment within an hour and only 42% receive one with 24 hours.

• Surprisingly, as e-contacts increase, the volume of phone and mail contacts is generally not changing.

• One-fourth of all companies are pushing outgoing e-mails to customers with suggestions and promotions. Only one-third of e-customers indicate a high interest in receiving such e-mails.

Links
ICSA		http://www.icsa.com
e-Satisfy.com		http://www.e-satisfy.com