One-third of respondents to the Colmar Brunton Customer Experiences Survey said they have had a particularly good experience when dealing with their bank in the past 12 months.

But one in five New Zealand consumers report having had a negative experience when dealing with their telco provider in the same period, with phone companies contributing one-third of all bad customer experiences. In addition, particularly bad telco experiences outnumber particularly good ones by four to one.

"Banks and airlines have done a great job of 'onlining' and automating the service experience in a way that feels both personal and customised," said Dick Brunton, the joint founder and current chairman of Colmar Brunton.

"But businesses should be wary of going down the automation track without considering how it feels to the consumer. Telcos are widely criticised for automating their phone systems in a way that is cold, impersonal and actually makes it harder for consumers to interact with them."

Respondents cited the following Kiwi companies when asked to name one business that they feel is the most dedicated to providing the customer with the best possible service:

1. ASB

2. Air New Zealand

3. Kiwibank

4. Westpac

5. BNZ

6. National Bank

7. New World

8. ANZ

9. TSB

10. Vodafone

How companies handle the transition to online and telephone customer service is increasingly key to how consumers perceive them, Mr Brunton said. ASB has been a leader in this area and has been first to establish the first virtual bank branch via Facebook, through which a customer can book an appointment with a virtual staff member online and have a web-based conversation.

There is also strong evidence that a customer-driven approach is better for a company's bottom line than a purely profit driven one. Brunton said that the world's best brand builders have a relentless commitment to customer experience excellence.

"Organisations that authentically put the customer first build more brand value for their shareholders than those who put shareholders first," said Mr Brunton.

Overall the personal customer experience in New Zealand has improved in the past five years. That's mainly because of a significant reduction in negative customer experiences to 59 per cent this year, from 72 per cent in 2006 when the survey was last conducted.

But a bad customer experience can still be dangerous to corporate reputations and earnings; respondents are twice as likely to tell others about a bad experience than a good one. They also have more tools to do so with the proliferation of social media.

"The adoption of social media means that consumers are sharing their experiences, good and bad, through a forum which lives on well after the original incident has been forgotten," said Mr Brunton. "The stories, and detail that respondents offered when explaining their negative experiences, demonstrates a real viral danger, as stories take on more meaning than the initial experience as they are passed along.

"Still, New Zealanders are reasonably forgiving of a problem with customer service, but what really matters to them is how it's handled and resolved," said Mr Brunton. "In fact, pulling out all the stops to remedy a situation is the biggest driver for great customer experiences."

Mr Brunton said that the survey shows that companies which make the commitment can turn around their customer experience. Banks this time around contributed 37 per cent of all particularly good experiences cited by the survey respondents. But five years ago, that figure was just 24 per cent.

Colmar Brunton's Distinctive Customer Experiences in New Zealand study surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1020 New Zealanders aged 15 years and over. It was taken in July and August 2010.

ENDS

 

About Colmar Brunton

Colmar Brunton was started in 1981 by two Kiwis with a passion for taking the consumers' voice into the boardroom. It is now New Zealand's best known and most trusted market research company, with offices in Auckland and Wellington, and employing some 250 staff. Colmar Brunton is part of the global Millward Brown network covering more than 51 countries around the world.

About Dick Brunton

Dick Brunton is co-founder of Colmar Brunton and currently its Executive Chairman. Mr Brunton was inducted into the NZ Marketing Hall of Fame in 2005 and became a Life Member of the Market Research Society of NZ in 2009.