consumer empowerment and customer service in ireland
DESCRIPTION
NCA's market research: 77% of consumers are confident about their consumer rights, supermarkets and shops selling clothing/footwear have highest satisfaction levels for customer service, airlines have lowest.TRANSCRIPT
National Consumer Agency
Market Research Findings:Consumer Empowerment and Customer Service
March 2012Research Conducted by
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Key Findings
Section 1: Consumer Empowerment
Section 2: Customer Service
Research Background and Methodology
Profile of Sample
Table of Contents
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Key Findings
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Key Findings
Consumer Rights• 77% state they are confident of their rights (↓1% point)
• 72% assert they are knowledgeable of their rights (↑1% point)
• 76% feel protected in respect of their rights (↑5% points)
Customer Service• Supermarkets and shops selling clothing or footwear had the highest level
of satisfaction with customer service, both at 91%.
• The lowest level of satisfaction, at 64%, applied to those contacting airlines’ customer service, airlines also had the highest proportion claiming dissatisfaction at 30%.
• Nearly 3 in 5 (57%) consumers state that as a result of receiving bad customer service they would stop doing business with a provider.
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Section 1: Consumer Empowerment
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7075 74 74 73 75
78 77
1812
15 1418
1310 11
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Aug-08 Nov/Dec-08
Jun-09 Nov/Dec-09
Jun-10 Nov/Dec-10
May/June -11
Nov-11
% Confident % Not Confident
Confidence about Rights as a Consumer
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
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6269 68 67 67 68 71 72
24
1520 20 20 19 17
14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Aug-08 Nov/Dec-08
Jun-09 Nov/Dec-09
Jun-10 Nov/Dec-10
May/June -11
Nov-11
% Knowledgeable % Not Knowledgeable
Knowledge about Consumer Rights
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
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60
7065 65 64
69 7176
18
1016 14 15
10 8 8
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Aug-08 Nov/Dec-08
Jun-09 Nov/Dec-09
Jun-10 Nov/Dec-10
May/June -11
Nov-11
% Protected % Not Protected
Protected Regarding Consumer Rights
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
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Empowerment Levels x Profile of Sample
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
Overall
Confident
77%
Not Confident
11%
Knowledgeable
72%
Not Knowledgeable
14%
Protected
76%
Not Protected
8%
Male 75% 12% 70% 15% 74% 8%
Female 80% 10% 75% 12% 78% 8%
15-24 72% 16% 63% 16% 72% 8%
25-34 81% 8% 78% 12% 78% 7%
35-44 81% 10% 77% 13% 77% 9%
45-54 81% 7% 77% 13% 76% 7%
55+ 74% 14% 67% 15% 75% 10%
ABC1/F50+ 85% 8% 81% 10% 82% 5%
C2DE/F50- 70% 14% 64% 17% 70% 10%
Responsible for main shop
81% 10% 76% 13% 78% 10%
Not responsible
for main shop73% 12% 68% 14% 73% 6%
= Significantly lower than total sample = Significantly higher than total sample
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Section 2: Customer Service
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In Person
90%
Other3%
Email2%
Phone 2%
Web2%
Post1%
In Person
87%
Phone4%
Other4%
Email1%
Web1%
Phone49%
In Person
29%
Email12%
Web9%
Post 6%
Other 6%
In Person
57%
Phone 19%
Post 9%
Other 9%
Email 7%
Web7%
Phone52%
In Person
29%
Post 13%
Email11%
Web6%
Other6%
Phone 56%
In Person
22%
Post 11%
Email 8%
Web 8%
Other 2%
Experience with Customer Service – I
19%
20%
(Base: All that have purchased goods services from
each sector within the past 12 months)
17%
15%
17%
10%
Method of Contact
Shops Selling Clothing or Footwear
(Base: 941)
Supermarkets (Base: 932)
Communication Services e.g. Home
phone, mobile, broadband(Base: 807)
Banking Products
and Services(Base: 758)
Insurance Products & Services (Base: 692)
Energy Suppliers (Base: 695)
Contact with Customer Service
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Phone79%
Web8%
In Person
7%
Post 5%
Email5%
Other5%
Phone 70%
In Person
18%
Post12%
Email4%
Other 2%
In Person
53%
Phone18%
Other 10%
Web9%
Email9%
Post 5%
Web43%
Email18%
In Person
15%
Phone 14%
Other 7%
Post 1%
In Person
71%
Phone19%
Web5%
Email 5%
Other 1%
Experience with Customer Service – II
16%
8*%
(Base: All that have purchased goods services from
each sector within the past 12 months)
9*%
17%
16%
* Caution small base size
Method of Contact
TV Service Provider(Base: 628)
Waste Services (Base: 592)
Bus & Train Transport
(Base: 471)
Airlines(Base: 450)
Shops Selling Furniture & Household
Appliances(Base: 405)
Contact with Customer Service
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Satisfaction with Customer Service – I
Supermarkets
Shops selling clothing or footwear
Shops selling furniture or household appliances
Insurance products & Services
Banking products & Services
Energy suppliers
Very dissatisfied
(1) (2) (4)
Very satisfied
(5)Neither/Nor (3)
MeanScore
3 4.4
1 4.3
8 4.2
6 4.0
10 3.7
9 3.8
(Base: All that had contact with customer service)
34
36
36
49
44
51
57
55
47
34
26
25
5
4
9
5
15
105
5
6
4
1 91%
91%
83%
83%
70%
76%
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Satisfaction with Customer Service – II
Communication Services
Waste Services*
TV service providers
Bus & Train Transport*
Airlines
Very dissatisfied
(1) (2) (4)
Very satisfied
(5)Neither/Nor (3)
MeanScore
3 3.8
16 4.0
12 3.8
6 3.8
6 3.6
(Base: All that had contact with customer service)
45
39
44
29
31
30
36
27
41
33
15
5
15
17
246
7
2
4
7 75%
75%
71%
70%
64%
* Caution small base size
30%
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57
46
24
5
1
Likely Action as a Result of Good & Bad Customer Service
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
Continue to do business with the provider
Tell people you know of your experience
Do more business with the provider
%
Good customer service
58
56
24
%
Bad customer service
Stop doing business with the provider
Tell people you know of your experience
Do less business with the provider
Continue to do business with the provider
Other
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Research Background and Methodology
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The research was conducted by means of face-to-face interviewing with 1,000 people between the ages of 15-74.
To ensure that the data is nationally representative, quotas were applied on the basis of age, gender and social class.
Interviewing was conducted over a four week period in November 2011.
Research Background and Methodology
Nov/Dec 2007
Aug 2008Nov/Dec
2008
Nov/Dec 2009 June 2010Nov/December
2010
Benchmark
Wave 4 Wave 5
Wave 1 Wave 2
Wave 6
May/June 2011
Wave 7
May/June 2009
Wave 3
Nov 2011
Wave 8
Current Wave
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1728
4822
52
19
2816
1826
49
26
51
SEX AGE REGION SOCIAL CLASS
Profile of Sample - I
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
Male
Female
% % % %
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
Dublin
Rest of Leinster
Munster
Conn/ Ulster
ABC1 F50+
C2DEF50-
MAIN GROCERY SHOPPER
Yes No47%53%
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5
25
48
18
52
23
30
22
17
32
25
28
75
SEX AGE REGION SOCIAL CLASS
Profile of Sample – II – Main Grocery Shoppers(Base: All Mainly Responsible for Grocery Shopping in Home – 526)
Male(49)
Female(51)
% % % %15-24
(17)
25-34(22)
35-44(19)
45-54(16)
55+(26)
ABC1 F50+(48)
C2DE F50-(52)
53%
( ) = Total Sample
Dublin(28)
Rest of Leinster
(26)
Munster(28)
Conn/ Ulster
(18)
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54
57
40
70
66
54
38
80
77
72
85
84
76
69
55%45%
78%
22%
Profile of Sample – III – Internet Use
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
USE INTERNET
No Yes
EVER PURCHASED ONLINE
No Yes
BANKING ONLINE
No Yes
(Base: All Internet Users - 762) (Base: All Internet Users - 762)
76%
24%
() = June 2011
(75%)
(25%)
(49%)(51%)(30%)
(70%)
Male
Female
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
% Yes
Male
Female
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
% Yes
Male
Female
15-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55+
% Yes
76
76
95
92
88
73
44
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Profile of Sample – IV – Social Media
Type of phone
Regular users of .......
(Base: All aged 15-74 – 1,000)
45
46
39
44
42
44
29%
Higher amongst:
15-24’s
25-34’s
ABC1/F50+
Working full time
Students
Dublin
%
Higher Amongst
Bebo
None of These
50
10
6
2
48
47
10
6
1
51
%
Have a ‘Smart phone’
() = June 2011
Nov 2011June 2011
(21)
15-24 86%ABC1F50 59%
Dublin 55%
15-24 21%
55+ 86%C2DEF50- 56%Munster 53%