Poor Service Results in Major Retail Loss

Anyone who read this blog will say "no kidding" when they read this, but glad to see someone is actually putting some research together. Maybe now people will listen!

A study by M/A/R/C(R) Research and National In-Store revealed that more than 16 percent of consumers would stop shopping at a retail store if they received bad customer service, particularly in the areas of consumer electronics and home improvement. Consumers also noted the importance of sales associates, with 95 percent indicating that associates were very or somewhat important and two-thirds stating that sales associates were very important. "The role of sales associates is further reinforced by the results of our survey," said Erika Cinicolo, Research Manager at M/A/R/C Research. "While product and price may bring customers in the door, executing the expected level of customer service keeps them from walking out and into a competitor's store."

Link: Poor Service Results in Major Retail Loss.

Comments

[John Rosen]

Makes you wonder why retail management tolerates lousy service doesn't it. MOre importantly, makes you wonder why retail management doesn't spend every waking minute looking for ways to improve service, provide more training and incentives to the front line to be competent, professional, helpful, friendly, cheerful, etc. On the other hand, changing stores / airlines / restaurants is the only recourse that A) we, as consumers have, and B)retailers might actually notice. I can well remember a restaurant in downtown Chicago (near my office at the time) that had provided my lunch partners and I with lousy srevice three times in a row. Someone suggested we go there again, three or four weeks after the last bad experience. I simply announced, "This is Chicago! We don't EVER have to go back there again!"

[Adrian Miller]

No kidding! It's about time that customer service was quantified and became a key component in the P/L for every type of co. After all, delivering "good" customer service is really just delivering on what the customer expected. It's going BEYOND that should be the goal.

[Ares Vista]

Every company will begin to understand the importance of customer service SOON. Today's market is depending more and more on customer testimonials and reviews. Everyday customers are quickly becoming the 'experts' on any product or service.