London, UK: April 18, 2006: Are you a Shouter, a Switcher, a Seeker or a Sulker? New research out today has found that 43% of us are Shouters who tell as many people as possible when we experience bad service. 27% of us just switch and don’t tell anyone, 15% of us try and find a better way to get good service and 11% of us just put up with it and sulk.
British consumers are becoming more vocal than ever before when they take a stand against poor service. One in five Britons will rant to more than 10 friends and family members about companies that provide poor service and nearly half will share their angst with at least four people, according to a poll by continuity company, SunGard Availability Services.
In addition, consumers are becoming more proactive and are getting better at complaining. 85% will take the time to confront suppliers directly and 43% will take formal steps such as complaining to the media or enforcement body like Trading Standards.
Supermarkets come out top for reliability. When asked to rate the most reliable organisations, in terms of availability of information and services, 30% chose Supermarkets – equal to the amount that chose Emergency Services. Banks were third capturing 23% of the vote and Public Transport was found to be the least reliable service.
Keith Tilley, MD UK and SVP Europe, SunGard Availability Services, said, “Nearly half of us (48%) have switched service providers in the last two years, so it’s clear that agitated, impatient customers are demanding better service or they will move on. It’s no longer acceptable for businesses to only be available 24/7 – it’s about being more responsive and available than the competition.”
SunGard works with thousands of organisations including Barnardos, Galt Toys, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Oddbins and Northgate Information Systems in the UK, to help keep businesses running smoothly and avoid disruption by offering a mixture of technology and communication services and physical office recovery space across 20 UK locations.
The research also found:
74% of people would only wait two minutes for a ATM to
process a request
67% will wait up to three hours for treatment in Accident and
Emergency for a non-life threatening condition such as a
sprain
47% won’t wait 60 seconds for a website to load
60% will wait up to five minutes for a call centre to begin
dealing with the call
42% of female shoppers buying products for the first time will
base decisions on recommendations from family and friends
People are least likely to switch locals because of poor service,
only six percent of us would look for a different boozer for
better treatment
John Holden, Senior Research Analyst, Butler Group commented, “The findings confirm how competitive the world is becoming; consumers will no longer put up with poor Quality of Service. Corporate success will increasingly rely on IT service availability and managements must take the lead in ensuring that their enterprises are resilient.”
About the Research
YouGov on behalf of SunGard Availability Services carried out the survey during November 2005, with respondents drawn from a cross section of demographic groups and ages. 2,342 people were interviewed through on online omnibus survey. Click http://www.yougov.co.uk/archives/pdf/YOU_internal3.pdf to view the YouGov record against other pollsters and actual results.