fizzback

31 Aug 2007
The Retail Bulletin
www.theretailbulletin.com

 

HOME SHOPPING COMPANIES LET DOWN BY POOR DELIVERY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE

Poor delivery and sloppy customer service is letting down the home shopping market, according to research out today.

A friendly face makes all the difference in retail

 

Analysis of feedback from 500 consumers across the UK found that within the home shopping and catalogue sector, 53 percent of all complaints relate not to the quality of the product, but to unreliable delivery services according to instant feedback company Fizzback. The number one complaint was of deliveries not turning up on time - and often not even on the day that had been promised.

 

The second highest category of complaints - at 36 per cent of all complaints received - related to poor customer service. Top of this list was not being able to get hold of a customer service representative, or complaints about being held in a call centre queue.

 

Rob Keve, CEO of Fizzback, says: “This is something that is so simple to put right. Very few of the complaints we see relate to the product quality (less than nine per cent of all complaints); and even fewer relate to price (just over one per cent). The sector is being let down by unreliable delivery companies and badly run call centres. Companies that get these two things right could steal a competitive edge on all the competition.”

 

Fizzback's instant feedback lets consumers provide positive or negative feedback at the point of experience, using easy, fast and direct channels, such as text or email. According to the company, customers are more likely to respond when they are given the opportunity to feed back 'in situ', ie. immediately a situation arises (rather than after the event), and when provided with electronic communication channels. Fizzback's response rates are up to 900 per cent higher than other traditional feedback methods, so give a more reliable view of the customer experience.

 

According to Keve, this kind of feedback is transforming the way companies engage with their customers: “Traditional methods of capturing customer feedback are unreliable for gathering honest opinion on how a company is performing. Many customers will remain silent - either they can't be bothered to report back what they think of a product or service, or they may be embarrassed by confrontation. Even those that do wish to convey their experience may only be able to tell half the story, as by the time they do feed back, their memory of the experience may have dimmed or 'the moment' has gone.

 

“This kind of immediate feedback lets companies get a much more honest view of what their customers are experiencing, and provides them with an invaluable 'recovery window' to swiftly address any issues. By remedying issues during this window, a company can stop a disgruntled customer defecting to a competitor.”

 

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