A slow response to customer-service e-mails could be
extremely damaging to UK businesses, according to a survey
commissioned byFasthosts
Internet.
A survey of 1300 consumers by Tickbox revealed that a slow
response to a customer's e-mail would lead to 89% of customers
switching to a competitor.
More than 90% said they would be more
loyal to suppliers that responded swiftly to e-mail
enquiries.
As many as 78% said they had been disappointed by a slow
response to e-mail, with the average consumer sending three e-mails
before receiving a satisfactory response.
About 30% said they had sent more than ten e-mails about a
single customer service enquiry and more than 30% said they
regularly waited three days for a reply.
The research showed the average consumer was willing to wait
only 24 hours for a reply, with 19% abandoning their enquiry after
only 12 hours.
The second highest complaint was about receiving unhelpful
automated replies, with 65% saying they had been affected by
this.
The majority of e-mails from consumers to businesses involved
large companies, but one in three consumers said they were
disappointed by the response from smaller companies.
A further survey of 500 UK small businesses found that one in
five SMEs had received a complaint specifically about their slow
response to e-mails, and 56% had no policy in place concerning
their response time.
Mark Jeffries, CTO at Fasthosts Internet, said, "While most
[businesses] recognise that e-mail is an important form of
communication with their market, the majority remain misinformed
about the kind of effects that poor e-mail practices can have on
their business."