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Bad Servics = Bad Business

Over 207o of customers leave a business without buying anything and an equal number stop shopping in the store all together when they encounter bad customer service, according to a Mohr Learning survey.

In addition, 26Vo rclate their experience to friends and urge them to boy- cott the store. "While the most common response to poor service is to complain to the store manager, many people seem to protest with their pocketbook instead," said Mohr ceo Michael Patrick. "Retailers need to recognize the less visible impact of bad service. which is the quiet erosion of their customer base." y' Extensive inventories & services for all your treated requirements: CCA Hem Fir & Southern Yellow Pine, Sunwood P/zs' Decking, ACZA Douglas Fiq Interior & Exterior Fire Retardant, l(iln Drying, Remanufacfuring & T.S.0. y' Seven locations serving eleven Western states, Alaska and Hawaii Treating Plants: Washougal, WA; White City, 0R; Loveland, C0; and Fort Collins, C0. Distribution Centers: Ferndale, WA; Woodland, CA; and Mira Loma, CA y' Experienced professionals to help you get the right pressure treated wood product for your customer y' Prompt 'Just in Time" delivery L.T.L. orT/L quantities. y' Custom packaging for job site, export or your yard inventory requirements

The Boston-based firm reports that, when confronted with bad customer service, 39.3Vo of respondents complain to a store manager; 25.17o tell their friends and urge them not to frequent the store;22.27o stop shopping at the store; 22.OVo leave without making a purchase: 15.37o just ignore the transgression, and 12.77o get mad, but continue to shop at the store anyway.

Patrick says that although some retailers take their customers for granted and assume most could care less about service, the research reveals otherwise.

"People really get upset, even if they're reluctant to say anything," he asserts. "In fact, some customers who never complain to a store manager will do so to their friends. And wordof-mouth can be as powerful in retailing as it is in the motion picture business."

He said that retailers must assume that for every complaining customer, two others experienced similar frustrations, but didn't report them.

"It's not enough for store managers simply to address individual customer complaints," he notes. "The better solution is to provide training and supervision to employees so that such incidents are not repeated."

Among the other survey findings was that while men are more likelY than women to leave without buYing anything (267o vs. l97o), women are more apt to voice their complaints to a manager. Also, customers between the ages of 45-54 are least likely to ignore bad service (9Vo), while those aged 55 years and older are most likely (l8%o).