72% of the dissatisfied customers share their negative opinion to others
Bucharest, July 12, 2010 – The results of the most recent omnibus survey conducted by GfK Romania shows that in the last half year, one third of the Romanian came into direct contact with telephony, Internet or TV services providers, calling or passing the threshold of their shops.52% of the Romanians who had positive experiences in operators’ shops and call centers were convinced this way to use the companies’ services or become customers. Furthermore, 44% of those who had negative experiences with the staff of telecom operators have given up using the respective provider or to purchase its services.
The favorite means of information about telecom services for those who contact the operators directly, is represented by the face-to-face discussion with the staff in the shop, while complaints are made, to a greater extent, by telephone. The services about which the Romanians predominantly informed themselves and for which they submitted most of the complaints are those of mobile telephony and television, especially cable television. The customers who declare themselves least satisfied with how they were treated by operators’ staff made complaints and notifications in the shops - more than one third of them are not happy with the way staff dealt with their problem.
What do these experiences mean in terms of business results?
"Following a negative experience, a company does not lose a single customer, but may lose those reached by the negative recommendations of the dissatisfied customer, loses in terms of image and has low chances that these customers buy its services in the future. Furthermore, the respective company will be deprived of all the beneficial effects which would have been brought by a positive experience", says Oana Neacsu, GfK Romania researcher. "One of the main psychological effects of the crisis period is that people have become more cautious in the purchase process and tend to seek the opinion of others more than ever, before buying something. In this context, the 72% of the dissatisfied customers who talk about their negative experiences are a reason of concern for any company.” concluded Oana Neacsu.
Whether they choose to enter operators’ stores or resort to the call centers, the most common reasons for dissatisfaction of people who are willing to learn about telephony services refer to unanswered questions following the discussion and waiting time.
When the provider is contacted for the submission of a complaint, the watchword is time. In such cases, people are most displeased with the existence of a long waiting time until the takeover by a consultant, and the lack of promptness in solving the problem.
About Mystery Shopping studies
Some of the players on the Romanian market of telecom, retail, IT, electrical and household appliances, turn to Mystery Shopping studies to ensure that the standards regarding the relationship with the customers are observed in their stores and call centers. This type of surveys, conducted by professional Mystery Shoppers, is, in fact, the only rigorous way by which a company can monitor the effectiveness of the staff in terms of offers presentation and sales and the quality of the services offered and can design a training program in accordance with the real problems in the points of sales and information. In some cases, the assessments in the Mystery Shopping type of surveys are used as a component part of the bonus award programs in the network of shops and call centers.
GfK Romania
GfK Romania, founded in 1992, is an integral part of GfK Group. For over 10 years, GfK Romania has been the number 1 market research institute in Romania. Its activities are structured into five segments: Custom Research - Ad Hoc qualitative and quantitative research for a wide range of industries (consumer goods, telecommunications and IT, finance, retail, tourism, automotive, industrial goods), Consumer Tracking – continuous research for consumer goods, Retail and Technology - continuous research for durable goods, Media - qualitative and quantitative research on the consumption of media products and Healthcare- qualitative and quantitative research in all medical fields.
Founded in 1934, as the first market research company in Germany, GfK Group has today more than 150 branches, in 100 countries, on five continents. GfK Group is one of the largest market research organizations in the world. For further information, visit the website: www.gfk-ro.com
