Study Says Customer Service is Better Online
The University of Michigan released their annual report on the American Customer Satisfaction Index this week.
For the first time ever, online retailers are delivering better customer service than their offline counterparts. Online businesses rate 83 (out of 100) in customer service versus 71 for brick-and-mortar shops.
To get a copy of the full report, a registration is required but it's free. Here's a quick summary....
Customer service more critical online
Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee Results (technology provider for the ACSI study), says:
Against a backdrop of weakening consumer spending and talk about recession, e-commerce will continue to be a bright spot for multichannel companies. Companies have to excel in their online channel: survival in this economy depends on customer satisfaction, because switching costs are low and an alternative is just a mouse click away.
Who we should emulate
It scored the highest ever for a company with an 88 point rating for customer satisfaction. As a frequent Amazon shopper, I agree with the masses.
Online travel websites could be a lot better
The largest airfare comparison websites -- Travelocity, Expedia, and Orbitz -- all suffered drops in customer satisfaction. Little technological innovation over the last decade is blamed for the stagnant customer satisfaction rates.
Financial transactions getting more comfortable
While submitting financial information online is still the biggest hurdle for would-be Web shoppers, this report shows that consumers are getting more comfortable conducting financial transactions online. The online brokerage firms -- like Fidelity and CharlesSchwab -- continued to increase their customer satisfaction ratings.