Consumer Trends

Is customer service on the decline?

Findings from Empathica’s latest Consumer Insights Panel show that Americans feel customer service is getting worse. Based on feedback from a survey of 11,000 consumers, the findings reveal that things have deteriorated compared to the first quarter of 2010.

  • In the first quarter, 55.2% of American consumers said customer service was getting worse, but in the second quarter of 2010, that number rose to 61.7%
  • Fewer consumers felt that customer service WASN’T getting worse; 31.5% in the first quarter, compared to 24.8% in the second quarter
  • Consumers aged 35-44 and 45-54 are the most dissatisfied with customer service. 68.1% of the first group and 68.7% of the second expressed dissatisfaction with customer service
  • However, respondents aged 55-64 and 65 and over showed the most significant change in opinion. The first group’s dissatisfaction quotient rose by 12.7% from one quarter to the next, while the second group’s increased by 10.2%
  • Younger consumers are more tolerant of bad customer service. Only 45.7% of respondents 18-24 said it was getting worse in the second quarter, compared to 42.5% in the first quarter, a change of 3.2%

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