Kiwis rage against bad customer experience

KIWIS RAGE AGAINST BAD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

New Zealand consumers have no time for awful customer experience, with a new survey finding 80 per cent of us pulling the loyalty plug after a bad experience.

The iStart-Microsoft Customer Experience Survey found that nearly three quarters of us tell at least one person about a bad experience, while a third will also use social media to vent our frustration.

“The survey shows that businesses need to be listening to consumers and providing positive engagements with customers, as poor performance will result in many customers voting with their feet,” says Jan Ferguson, Microsoft New Zealand’s director of customer and partner experience.

“This is not new but the speed at which we can lose loyal customers has increased beyond previous comprehension. The challenge for all businesses is obviously to get it right at the outset, but if we don’t then we must notice, respond and fix whatever is broken. And all this needs to be done in a very short timeframe.”

While the survey results highlight the reactions of many Kiwis after a bad experience, it also showed that New Zealand businesses are performing adequately in the minds of consumers when it comes to customer satisfaction. Less than five percent of respondents said they never or only sometimes have positive encounters, while more than 90 per cent described often or always having positive experiences as customers.

“The survey highlights the good job that most New Zealand businesses are doing ensuring the customer’s needs are met in a quick, efficient manner, while also identifying some sectors that are struggling,” says Jan Ferguson.

Consumers and business leaders were asked how various sectors were performing in relation to customer satisfaction, with banking, tourism and retail scoring the highest, while government departments, insurance and transport sectors ranked the lowest.

More than 170 New Zealanders took part in the survey, with the results showing a disparity of opinion between the business community and consumers.

Almost 80 per cent of business leaders surveyed believed New Zealand businesses have an ‘average’ to ‘poor’ approach to customer satisfaction, a clear contrast to the consumer feedback.

While almost 95 per cent of business decision-makers agreed that customer satisfaction is the key to growth and success, only 38 per cent undertake research to determine whether their customers are happy or otherwise.

Jan Ferguson says some companies do go to great lengths to research and survey customer satisfaction and feedback but translating this into changes or new initiatives does not always happen.

“Even when research is done, where we seem to fall down as a business community is analysing the feedback and information we get and making actual changes to our customer processes, products or service itself.”

The iStart-Microsoft Customer Experience Survey had a total of 176 responses from New Zealand consumers and business leaders giving feedback on customer experience. A full report is available on request.
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