Survey: Personalized service keeps customers happy

Customer service personalization can boost shopper spending and retention.

According to the fourth annual Customer Expectations Report from customer service platform Gladly, 84% of surveyed consumers go out of their way to spend more money with brands that deliver personalized customer service experiences. About eight in 10 respondents (79%) say personalized service is more important to them than personalized marketing.

The survey also reveals the potential impact of a poor customer service experience. Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents feel more like a ticket number than a person when engaging with a customer service representative, and 51% will switch brands after one or two bad experiences. 

Conversely, 77% of respondents will recommend a brand to friends and family if they provide a more personalized experience, and more than half would recommend the company on social media or review sites.

Additional key findings from the report include:
•    Among millennial respondents, since 2019 usage of Twitter as a customer service platform has increased by 16%, Facebook by 10%, and SMS by 4%.

•    86% of consumers expect conversations with agents to seamlessly move between channels.

On behalf of Gladly, Zogby Analytics conducted a nationwide online survey, fielded January 2020. Thousands of U.S. adults were invited to participate in the interactive survey, yielding 1,500 total respondents.