What's Happening?
A recent study by Esendex highlights the retail industry's struggle with customer service, ranking it fourth among five major sectors. The study evaluated industries based on phone wait times and digital
contact channel availability, revealing that retail offers an average of just 2.1 customer service channels, one of the lowest across all sectors. Ecommerce brands performed even worse, providing only 1.2 channels on average, often relying solely on email or web forms. Financial services emerged as the top-performing sector, offering the fastest access to human support, while telecoms ranked the lowest due to limited communication channels and low Trustpilot ratings.
Why It's Important?
The findings underscore the importance of communication options in customer service, as limited channels can lead to customer frustration and damage trust and loyalty. Retailers are urged to invest in faster response times and a broader mix of communication channels to meet rising customer expectations and remain competitive. The study suggests that speed alone is insufficient, and retailers must adapt to the preferences of modern consumers who seek frictionless support through various digital platforms.
