Plumbers and solicitors worst for online customer service
Published: 27 April, 2016
Plumbers, solicitors and online marketing businesses come bottom of the list for online customer service, while hotels and B&Bs come out top, according to new research by online search platform Intently.co.
The team analysed data from over 16,000 service providers covering 160 business sectors to find out which professions offer the best online consumer experience.
The average response rate for plumbers was just 11% – this means that a customer would need to contact around 10 plumbers in order to get a single response. In contrast, the top performers were hotels and accommodation services with 33%, and cosmetic surgery companies coming in with 32%.
All the emails sent to these businesses were requests for work to be undertaken, so service providers should have been motivated to respond quickly.
“These results are very revealing and show us the business sectors that really need to up their game into today’s online marketplace,” said Intently’s chief executive officer, Neil Harris.
“Home Services includes builders, plumbers and electricians and, just as is the case in the offline world, trying to contact these providers online can be frustrating.”
Worst five industries for customer service:
1. Technology Services e.g. web design and development, SEO services, online marketing and social media (5%)
2. Delivery Services e.g. couriers, flower delivery (11%)
3. Home Services e.g. plumbers, builders and electricians (15%)
4. Vehicle Maintenance e.g. car servicing and tyre replacement (15%)
5. Legal Services e.g. solicitors and lawyers (16%)
Best five industries for customer service:
1. Holiday accommodation and services e.g. hotels, B&Bs and self catering cottages (33%)?
2. Cosmetic Surgery (32%)
3. Pet Services e.g. dog grooming, dog walking, kennels and catteries (28%)
4. Beauty Services e.g. beauticians, hair and make up artists (26%)
5. Venue Services (25%)
Intently http://intently.co is an online consumer services marketplace.
