Customer Service

Key Findings By The Gandalf Group

Here are some important findings on customer service based on a survey of 1,500 Canadians:

• 56% of Canadians said they have left a store or stopped using a particular brand or product because of a poor customer service experience.
• 49% of Canadians have avoided a product or store they have never tried after hearing of a friend or family member's poor customer service experience.
• 51% of unhappy customers are likely to share a bad experience with others, but only 31% will let the service provider aware of their displeasure.
• 43% of Canadians will seek out a brand because of a good review or referral
• The pharma sector has the smallest gap - 8% - between customer expectations and delivery. The widest gaps are in government (37% for federal and provincial, 35% for municipal), telecommunications (-36%), law firms (-34%) and major airlines (-31%)
• 81% of Canadians cite friendly and polite associates as the most important customer service criteria

From Customer Service Counts, Chris Powell of Marketing Magazine- Canada Sept 2012