Consumer Behavior
Consumers prefer traffic jams over a bad customer experience
April 21, 2022
More than half, 60%, of consumers would rather sit in a traffic jam than have a poor customer experience, according to a Telus International survey.
They also expect a faster, more intimate interaction and the option for automation technology, according to a press release on the findings.
"Nearly 48% of consumers believe that customer experiences should get significantly faster, followed by 43% saying interactions should become more personalized and 36% saying there should be more self-serve or automated options," Maria Pardee, chief commercial officer at Telus International, said in the release.
The survey also revealed nearly half (49%) said that if they could only receive customer support in one way for the rest of their lives, their preference would be speaking with a human on the phone.
The distant second preference was "in person" (19%).
The survey findings reflect the importance of employing authentic and empathetic individuals to represent a brand, given that "kind/kindness" was the most popular answer when asked what customer experience should look like in 2022, according to the release.
Additional findings from the survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers included:
- More than a third (44%) of respondents said that nothing — not even price, convenience or if it's a brand they truly like — excuses a poor customer experience.
- Respondents preferred a more personalized customer experience (64%) over ones that saved them time (36%).
- Long wait times were the top pet peeve (32%), followed by not having the option to speak with a human (25%) and numerous transfers to different individuals (25%).
And finally, almost one-third (27%) identified Darth Vader as a fictional character most likely to provide the worst customer experience.
