The travel sector has the second worst reputation for customer service, according to new research.
As part of the Make Every Conversation Count report, FM Outsource asked 1,000 people about their experiences with and attitudes towards customer service in 10 sectors including utilities, travel, banking, insurance, hospitality, and retail.
Respondents were asked to rate customer service, taking into account the experiences of other people they know and those they’ve read in online reviews.
Research found that the travel sector was one of the most likely to be rated poor or extremely poor (29% vs an average of 20%), second only to the utilities sector (32%).
Conversely, grocery and banking were the most likely to be rated good or very good (45% and 43% respectively, vs an average of 38%).
Respondents were also asked to rate the quality of customer service delivery from good to poor based on their experience.
The travel sector was again one of the worst performing (21% vs an average of 17.
The report has found negative customer service interactions have a detrimental effect on a brand.
Notably, nearly a third (31%) of consumers have told friends or family to avoid a brand following a negative customer service interaction, and 26% have left a critical review online.
At the same time, the research also revealed that the vast majority (80%) of consumers believe that poor customer service delivery reveals a brand’s general lack of care towards its customers.
Only 11% said that it is unrelated.
Martin Brown, CCO at FM Outsource, said: “Our findings show that, as far as consumers are concerned, the travel sector currently offers one of the lowest standards of customer service and therefore has one of the worst reputations.”
“Airlines in particular are currently undergoing a very challenging time.”
