Little problems can lead to big losses for brands (infographic)

Shoddy customer service, redundant questions, disconnected processes and long waits are causing customers to leave brands in droves, according to a new survey commissioned by Redwood Software, a global provider of Enterprise Process Automation.

The results emphasize that it’s the “little-big problems” that customer-facing companies should be concerned about—the things that may seem inconsequential up front, but build up over time to dramatically change the relationship a customer has with a once-favorite brand.

U.S. Consumers expect excellent, streamlined, and efficient end-to-end service wherever they go. If they don’t get it, they’re gone.

Reasons consumers terminate purchases

According to the results, nearly half of potential buyers terminate online purchases because they take too long (49.35%) or are too complicated (48.35%).

More than 75% of shoppers leave brick-and-mortar stores—and 65.3% leave online marketplaces—because they couldn’t find what they wanted. Ultimately, 51% of the US consumers surveyed have ended contracts or changed suppliers because of continued service failings.

Personally, we’ve deserted sites and stores for all of those reasons. Have you?

Customer service also came under fire in the survey. More than 61% of respondents reported dissatisfaction at having to repeat personal information to an operator after providing that information through an automated telephone system, and 58.85% were similarly annoyed when repeating information to multiple people or departments across transfers.

Since just about everyone has experienced these problems, you would think retailers would address them more efficiently, wouldn’t you? But many still don’t to their own loss, we suspect.

Expectations are high

Consumer expectations are high, but so is the potential loss for big brands, with these annoyances undoubtedly translating into lost revenue.

“It’s often the little problems that cause the biggest issues,” said Tijl Vuyk, CEO of Redwood Software. “In a time where customer loyalty is dead, brand reputation is critical and speedy service is imperative. Process automation helps businesses achieve efficiency and cost savings, and essentially deliver customer satisfaction. Businesses simply can’t afford to keep losing customers this way.”