Dive Brief:

• A majority of consumers — 58% — say they never hear from companies they try to contact, according to a report by PissedConsumer.com released last month. The review and reputation management platform surveyed over 40,000 consumers who visited its site.
• Customers say that when they do contact companies, nearly three-quarters of companies fail to offer solutions. 
• The problem is that some companies don’t use customer service to actually help consumers, according to Michael Podolsky, CEO of PissedConsumer.com. “Unfortunately, customer service is used as a deflection mechanism,” he said.

Dive Insight:

As companies look to save money, some have tried to make it harder to reach a representative, as it costs more to have customers speak with a human than to use a chatbot or other self-service options.

But when customers are unable to reach customer service, it can exacerbate their frustration and erode overall customer experience, brand reputation and sales. 

“Do you know that 60% of consumers that dial the customer service phone number never get to speak to a customer service rep? They get upset, frustrated, inundated by IVR systems, and they just [end] the phone call,” Podolsky said.

That might work for businesses that only hope to transact with a customer once, but that strategy can spell trouble for any business that relies on repeat customers and referrals. 

“If a company hopes to receive a good brand reputation, hopes to have a repeat business, deflection mechanisms really upset customers,” Podolsky said. “If there is an opportunity for customers to switch to another brand that offers a little bit better customer service or a brand that will save customers time when they call customer service next time, I would personally choose a brand that cares about my time and saves my time.”

Customers want to communicate with businesses directly, but will take their problems public if need be. Nearly 9 in 10 consumers say they try to contact companies before they post reviews. The No. 1 reason customers post public reviews is to warn others.

Podolsky urges CX leaders to stop trying to deflect consumers — and to listen to what they have to say to improve the product or experience offered. 

“You're really upsetting consumers,” he said. “Because every time you use customer service as a mechanism of defection, you are not generating value for your brand. You are killing value for your brand.”