| compression garments - The majority of online shoppers are satisfied with the level of customer service they received in the last three months, according to a survey by International Communications Research (ICR).
The "Excellence in Customer Service Survey" was sponsored by Witness Systems and was conducted early in January 2001. It found that despite consumer spending for online purchases coming in under projections for the 2000 holiday season, it did not impact the level of customer service e-tailers provided. The statistical model of the survey covered 50 million US adults and found that 74 percent who made online purchases over the three months prior were very satisfied with their experiences -- a significant increase over similar studies done last year.
The survey results also indicate that the number of repeat purchases will increase as
online customer service improves. Three-fourths of the online purchasers in the
survey reported that they are very likely to make additional purchases from the
sites where they received |
customer service. The survey also found that the main challenge facing e-tailers is order fulfillment. Nineteen percent of online
purchasers received an item late, and one in six plan to or have returned their
purchases.Customers also value the ability to choose the communications media in which they interact with companies, the surbey found. E-mail was cited above the telephone, live text chat, and fax, which is good news for retailers since e-mail is one of the most cost-effective channels available.
Accenture's second annual US E-Fulfillment study, which examined Web sites operated by traditional retailers, "pure-play" e-tailers, and mail-order catalog companies, found that 67 percent of deliveries were not received as ordered and 12 percent had not been received in time for Christmas. Delivery of orders in time for Christmas was seven percent higher for Web sites operated by traditional retailers and mail-order catalogers than for "pure play" e-tailers. They also did a better job than e-tailers of simplifying the return process.
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