Frustrated Customers Unhappy With Waiting Times
USA - New National Survey From TOA Technologies and
Harris Interactive Finds High Consumer Cost of Waiting
Americans waiting at home endlessly for a service or delivery
appointment has long been a customer service elephant in the
room. But now a new survey brings the cost and frustration of
waiting into the spotlight.
In June, TOA Technologies partnered with Harris Interactive to
conduct a national consumer survey to measure the economic
impact of long appointment wait windows on companies and
consumers. The TOA Technologies 2009 Cost of Waiting Survey,
which polled more than 2,000 Americans from around the country,
found the following impact on consumers:
- 32% have taken a sick day or vacation day to wait at home for
a service call or delivery in the first six months of 2009.
- Almost 1 in 5 Americans lost wages by taking unpaid time off
work to wait at home in the first six months of 2009.
- 29% have left their home in frustration because the
service/delivery person was late.
- 82% wait on average at least 1 day per year in their homes for
service calls or deliveries.
The survey results also indicate that companies suffer when
their customers experience excessive wait times. According to
the TOA Technologies 2009 Cost of Waiting Survey, companies lose
revenue, reputation and customer retention because they leave
customers waiting without knowing when the appointment will
actually happen:
- 37% of consumers think long wait times occur because companies
take advantage of the consumer who wants or needs the service.
- 18% of consumers have refused or cancelled a product/service
because the service/delivery person was late or didn't show up
at the promised time.
- 57% of consumers say the company providing the service is at
fault if the delivery/service is late or doesn't show.
"With the re-emergence of great service from companies like
Amazon, FedEx and Zappos, people are starting to expect better
customer care. Long, multi-hour wait windows for service
appointments in the home are not only unacceptable today,
they're unnecessary" said Yuval Brisker, CEO of TOA.
"It's about time and money; companies who inconvenience their
customers by forcing them to lose wages and vacation time by
haplessly waiting at home for appointments without providing
smaller wait windows and updated appointment status information
are ignoring a key aspect of great customer service." He added.
The TOA Technologies 2009 Cost of Waiting Survey was
administered by Harris Interactive in June 2009. Harris
conducted an online poll of 2,261 adults nationwide.
About TOA Technologies
TOA Technologies is a leader in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)
solutions for customer-focused mobile workforce management.
www.toatech.com.
