Indians are more prone to losing their temper when dealing with a customer service professional as compared to their global counterparts, reveals an American Express global survey on customer service.

The Amex 2012 global customer service barometer finds that 64 per cent Indians lose their temper when dealing with a customer service executive - far higher compared to an average of 48 per cent in other markets.

And 12 per cent Indians use profanities as compared to just 7 per cent in other markets. Also, 61 per cent insist on speaking to a supervisor (average of 52 per cent in other markets).

The study was completed online with a random sample of consumers aged above 18 years. Covering a total of 1,007 interviews, the survey was completed between February 22 and 29, 2012.

More patient

But even though they may get angrier than their global counterparts, Indian customers are also far more patient in their willingness to wait for customer service response (average 16 minutes on hold, 17 minutes in person) across sectors.

The hospitality industry (e.g., hotels, motels, etc.) and luxury brands were rated the highest in terms of customer service, with the retail and casual dining industries closely following.

As an indication of things to come, nearly 54 per cent of the respondents said they have utilised social media to get a customer service response and a whopping 80 per cent of the respondents felt that companies have generally improved their response time over social media channels.

For companies that are not investing enough in customer service, here’s a reality check - seven in ten consumers who intended to buy a product, decided not to based on a poor service experience. Poor customer service really results in a sale lost.

heena.k@thehindu.co.in

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