And They Tell Two Friends …

By Jennifer Heebner, Senior Associate Editor -- JCK Online, 9/1/2001 2:00:00 AM

More than a quarter of the people who experience poor retail service will tell friends about it and advise them not to shop in the offending store. That was one of the findings of a nationwide consumer telephone survey that posed the question: "How do you react when you experience bad customer service?"* Survey respondents said they typically reacted to poor customer service by:

Complaining to a store manager (39%)
Telling friends about the experience and urging them not to shop at the store (26%)
Not shopping at that store anymore (22%)
Walking out without making the purchase (22%)
Ignoring the situation (15%)
Getting upset but continuing to shop at the store anyway (13%).**

Training is key to thwarting poor service, says Michael Patrick, chief executive officer of MOHR Learning Center, Ridgewood, N.J., which conducted the survey. "Sales associates need to be taught how to recover from and feel confident about dealing with dissatisfied customers," he says. And managers should be getting the same training—or even more training—so they can help associates and satisfy unhappy customers.

Responses from consumers this year indicate that customer service continues to erode, despite retailers' efforts to halt the downward spiral. Shoppers know retailers are trying to improve customer service, but their efforts aren't having the desired effects yet. "Consumers are saying, 'That's great that you're in a meeting to improve service skills, but meanwhile, I can't get any help on the sales floor,' " says Patrick.

Education, age, and "jadedness" accounted for those who overlooked poor service. Customers between the ages of 55 and 64 were most likely to get upset but continue shopping at the store anyway (17%). Less-educated shoppers—those with a high school education or less—were also more likely to ignore poor service and continue shopping (16%). And customers in non-metropolitan areas (21%) were more likely to ignore poor service than urban dwellers (14%).

"Some shoppers have such low [retail] expectations that they let poor service roll off of their backs," says Patrick. "Others may get upset over an incident, but continue to shop at the store because it's got a monopoly on products in the shopper's area. And though this survey is representative of broad categories of retail, customer service issues are even more intimate in the jewelry business."

Those most likely to walk out of a store without making purchases after experiencing poor service include shoppers with incomes exceeding $50,000, men, and residents of the northeastern part of the United States. Those most likely to stop shopping altogether at a store where they've experienced poor service include consumers living in the West and those with college or greater education levels.

Women, youths, and the affluent were most likely to voice complaints. Females were more likely than males to complain to a store manager (44% vs. 34%), as were shoppers between the ages of 18 and 34 (39%), those with salaries exceeding $50,000 (49%), and metropolitan residents (41%). Men were slightly more inclined to tell friends about bad experiences than women (26% versus 25%).

* Methodology: International Communications Research, Media, Pa., surveyed more than 1,000 consumers nationwide via telephone between October 27-31, 2000. MOHR Learning, a Ridgewood, N.J.-based retail training outfit, sponsored the survey. ** Percentages add up to more than 100 because respondents could select more than one answer.