Oct 29 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
‘Indian customers most tolerant’
John Sarkar
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New Delhi
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Will online shoppers warm up to Flipkart again after it botched up their chances of landing a good deal on the Big Billion Day sale? It seems like they would, reveals a global survey. Indians are the most tolerant customers in the world with 66% of them willing to give companies a second or more chances when faced with poor customer service, says the survey, which measures customer service of companies across the world.This is in stark contrast to customers in Japan (52%), Italy (45%) and Mexico (44%), who say that companies do not get a second chance to make a good impression when it comes to customer service.
However, the findings also suggest that Indian consumers are also very touchy with 71% having dropped an intended purchase due to poor customer service.
“The highly networked Indian customer presents a phenomenal opportunity as he wields a wide sphere of ‘word of mouth’ influence and is also willing to pay a premium to companies providing great service. So, focusing on delivering outstanding service will ultimately help companies to grow. Businesses can build advocates by delivering good customer service,” said Sanjay Rishi, president, American Express South Asia. Interestingly, the survey shows that good customer services help companies rake in more revenues. Nearly 78% of consumers have spent more with a company because of history of positive customer service experiences. The survey also indicates that this trend is picking up as 86% of Indian customers have expressed willingness to spend 23% more with a company they believe provides excellent customer service as against the global average of 66%, who are willing to spend 12% more.
In addition to spending more, 66% of the survey’s respondents say they always tell others about good service interaction. According to the findings, recommendations from friends or family members are amongst the most likely ways to get 22% Indian customers to try a new company.
The immense tolerance index of Indian customers is also highlighted by the fact that when it comes to their willingness to wait in-person or when they are put on hold on telephone for customer service, the most patient consumers, on an average, are in India (wait in-person for 20 minutes, wait-on-hold for 18 minutes).
On the other hand, their counterparts in other markets exhibit less tolerance (average wait in-person for 14 minutes, on hold for 12 minutes), finds the survey by American Express .
However, the findings also suggest that Indian consumers are also very touchy with 71% having dropped an intended purchase due to poor customer service.
“The highly networked Indian customer presents a phenomenal opportunity as he wields a wide sphere of ‘word of mouth’ influence and is also willing to pay a premium to companies providing great service. So, focusing on delivering outstanding service will ultimately help companies to grow. Businesses can build advocates by delivering good customer service,” said Sanjay Rishi, president, American Express South Asia. Interestingly, the survey shows that good customer services help companies rake in more revenues. Nearly 78% of consumers have spent more with a company because of history of positive customer service experiences. The survey also indicates that this trend is picking up as 86% of Indian customers have expressed willingness to spend 23% more with a company they believe provides excellent customer service as against the global average of 66%, who are willing to spend 12% more.
In addition to spending more, 66% of the survey’s respondents say they always tell others about good service interaction. According to the findings, recommendations from friends or family members are amongst the most likely ways to get 22% Indian customers to try a new company.
The immense tolerance index of Indian customers is also highlighted by the fact that when it comes to their willingness to wait in-person or when they are put on hold on telephone for customer service, the most patient consumers, on an average, are in India (wait in-person for 20 minutes, wait-on-hold for 18 minutes).
On the other hand, their counterparts in other markets exhibit less tolerance (average wait in-person for 14 minutes, on hold for 12 minutes), finds the survey by American Express .
