"A service organization's profitability hinges on its ability to deliver it, as well as to know and predict its customers preferences."

A customer service survey released today, commissioned by Amdocs, reveals that customer service throughout the UK continues to be well below expected standards in the telecommunications, banking and retail sectors. Results show that 80% of UK consumers will only withstand one negative experience before taking their business elsewhere, thus demonstrating the need to put the customer at the center of the business.

The UK is no longer a ‘put up or shut up’ culture, with 75% of the 1001 people surveyed insisting that they would argue their case and get increasingly angry in the face of bad customer service. Over 80% of consumers said that they have had to endure a bad customer service experience recently and more than half would rather visit their in-laws or drive round the M25 than deal with current levels of customer service. The consumer expects nothing less than the most superior service from their communications, financial or retail service providers and with intense competition for consumers’ business, a service organization's profitability hinges on its ability to deliver it, as well as to know and predict its customers preferences.

Other key findings include:

The British Love to Queue?
Despite the common perception that the British love to queue, 90 % of consumers cite long waiting times as their greatest customer service peeve.

Nothing in life comes free
The offer of free goods/services following poor service was only deemed important by less than 5% of those questioned.

Hearsay is dynamite
Over 80% insist that they would spread the word to friends and family following a poor customer service experience.

The grass is always greener
85% of those surveyed felt that customer service is far superior abroad.

Granny knows best
Over three quarters of consumers prefer for their query to be handled by a mature woman.

The customer is king
Neil Philpott, Director, Amdocs UK commented: “There is no denying that customer is king. The results of the survey, although hard hitting, are not unexpected. The onus is on the company, whether that be in the telecommunications, banking or retail sector, to provide the best possible service. Companies must integrate their business processes, moving beyond disparate billing and CRM solutions to a customer centric operation. With a 360 degree view of their customers, a company should be able to provide a seamless, tailored service. If used efficiently, this data can be invaluable, if not the result is further frustrations for the customer.” He continued: “We now have a de facto list of the grievances of the UK population which can be used to raise standards across the board. We should remember that some companies are fantastic when it comes to customer service, but we need to ensure that these are not exceptions -- a high level of service should be the norm.”