A few weeks ago, I reported on the many missed income opportunities uncovered by the Mailorder Gardening Association’s recent Secret Shopper Survey. Following on the heels of that, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the dismal results from Forrester Research’s survey of response times to customer service emails. The study showed that, while customers expect an email response within six hours, actual performance is far below that:
6 to 24 hours – 21%
One to two days – 18%
2 to 3 days – 7%
More than 3 days – 4%
No response – 14%
That leaves a mere 36% of companies replying within the time frame that customers expect, a pretty pathetic showing.
Stop worrying about Twitter, Facebook, or any other new trends until you have the basics mastered. Before chasing after new customers, make sure you’re taking care of the ones you already have.
