2009
CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE
IMPACT REPORT
Copyright 2009 RightNow Technologies, Inc.

2009 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
IMPACT REPORT
Although consumers have always had expectations—to be heard, supported, and valued—never
before have they expected a great experience to accompany every interaction. Now, empowered
by the social web, consumers are forcing change. Companies can no longer manage the customer
relationship; however they can control the experience they deliver to customers.
The 2009 Customer Experience Impact Report, the fourth of its kind, commissioned by RightNow
Technologies and conducted by Harris Interactive® supports this paradigm shift, showing that
consumer expectations are high, social networking is amplifying consumer voices and never before has
delivering great customer experiences been more critical.
A NEw GENERATION Of CONSUMERS wITh Sky-hIGh EXPECTATIONS
For the last several years, the Customer Experience Impact (CEI) Report has shown that 21st century
consumers expect great customer experiences.
The 2009 CEI survey confirmed, again, that consumers are challenging companies to sit up and take
notice; and if they aren’t willing to care for their customers, they will go elsewhere:
• 86% of consumers quit doing business with a company due to a bad customer experience, up
27% from 4 years ago
• Even in a down economy, customer experience remains the top priority; 60% of consumers
will always or often pay more for a better experience, up from 58% in 2008
CONSUMERS DEMAND GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES
EVEN IN A DOwN ECONOMy, CONSUMERS wILL PAy MORE
fOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE
Percent of consumers that will never go back to a company
after a bad customer experience
Percent of consumers that will always or often pay more for
a better customer experience
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TODAy’S CONSUMER wIELDS SOCIAL POwER
Word-of-mouth is nothing new, but with the rise of social networking, one-to-
one complaints have quickly become one-to-hundreds or thousands. Today’s
consumers are empowered and if their expectations aren’t met, they have
multiple avenues to express their dissatisfaction.
• In 2006, respondents reacted to bad customer experiences by swearing
(29%) or shouting (21%) which have fallen to 20% and 14%
respectively. Nowadays, consumers are taking their anger and acting on
it via word of mouth and social channels
• 82% of consumers that had a bad experience told others about it, up
22% since 2006
• Many consumers that had a bad customer experience and told others
about it shared their experience online by posting a negative customer
review on the company’s website (23%), Facebook (7%), or a blog (6%)
MORE AND MORE CONSUMERS ARE TELLING OThERS ABOUT BAD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES
In 2009, 82% of
consumers that had
a bad experience
told others about it,
up 22% since 2006
UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS
Consumers prefer to go to an organization’s website for help first. They want
an interactive and engaging website experience that allows them to quickly and
easily find the information they need.
62%
• 62% of consumers online who have ever had a problem
researching a product/service or with the product/service
itself go to a company/brand’s website to find information
• 28% of consumers online said that by improving website
usability and search functionality companies can better
engage with them to encourage them to spend more
of consumers go to a company’s website to find
information if they are having a problem
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If consumers can’t find what they need online, they want the option to engage with a live
person. These personal interactions require a live customer service agent to answer the phone,
respond to an email or chat online when they engage with a company.
• 73% prefer to speak directly to a live customer service agent
• 66% want to send an email when they interact with a company
• When consumers are researching a company’s product or service online or having
a problem with a product/service, they usually call (62%) or email (49%) the
company directly
• 18% of consumers want to be able to chat online with a live agent when they are
having a problem
Consumers that are online are now even looking to find company information on the social web.
• 12% of online consumers said they would prefer to interact with an organization in
online forums and 5% said the same about social networking sites
• 43% of online consumers use a search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo!) when they have
a problem researching a company’s products or services or with the products/services
themselves
OPPORTUNITIES IN ThE CONTACT CENTER, ONLINE AND IN SOCIAL NETwORkS
Almost all personal interactions with consumers (via phone, email, online chat) go through
the contact center, giving organizations an opportunity to not only engage with customers,
but improve loyalty and drive sales.
• Agent influenced sales have increased 83% in the past year, increasing from 24% to 44%
• 51% of consumers who have contacted a company looking for customer service and
ended up making another purchase based on the agent’s recommendation made the
other purchase because the offer was relevant and complimentary to what they had
already purchased. When agents are armed with relevant information, they can be
even more successful
CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS ARE DRIVING SALES
Agent influenced sales
have increased 83% in
the past year, increasing
from 24% to 44%
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Organizations can also tap into the power of the social web to monitor conversations,
provide better service, deliver information, identify advocates, and ensure superior
customer experiences.
Consumers that are online are looking for service and support on Twitter:
• 58% said if they had complained about a bad experience with a company on a
social networking site, such as Twitter, they would like the company to reach
out directly and respond to their comment
When online consumers follow a particular brand on Twitter, they are looking for
information:
• 62% are looking for special offers
• 38% are looking for tips or advice
Online consumers are also likely to follow their favorite brands:
• 59% simply love the brand and want to be a part of its community
• 24% want to advocate the company’s brand or organization’s mission or work
CUSTOMER TRENDS ON TwITTER
24%
want to advocate 38%
the company’s brand are looking for tips
or work or advice
62%
are looking for
special offers
It is clear that consumer expectations are high and they demand excellent customer
experiences. This presents a challenge for businesses, but it also presents an opportunity.
In addition to complaining, consumers are willing to recommend companies to others
because of outstanding service. 53% of consumers will recommend a company to
someone else because they provide outstanding service; more so than on low prices
(50%) and top quality products/services (41%).
53% of consumers will recommend a company to someone else
because they provide
OUTSTANDING
SERVICE more so than on low prices (50%)
and top quality products (41%)
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ABOUT RIGhTNOw TEChNOLOGIES
RightNow is helping rid the world of bad experiences one consumer interaction
at a time, 7 million times a day. RightNow CX, the customer experience suite,
helps organizations deliver exceptional customer experiences across the web,
social networks and contact centers, all delivered via the cloud. With more
than eight billion customer interactions delivered, RightNow is the customer
experience fabric for nearly 2000 organizations around the globe. To learn more
about RightNow, go to www.rightnow.com.
RightNow is a registered trademark of RightNow Technologies, Inc. NASDAQ
is a registered trademark of the NASDAQ Stock Market.
METhODOLOGy
This Customer Experience Impact Report was conducted online within the
United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of RightNow Technologies
between September 11-15, 2009 among 2,295 U.S. adults ages 18 years or
older. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education,
region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to
adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Results were also weighted as
needed to reflect the composition of the U.S. online adult population using
targets on the basis of Internet usage (hours per week) and connection type as
well as by age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income.
This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no
estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey
methodology, including weighting variables, please visit www.rightnow.com/
resource-ra-4th-customer-experience-impact-report.php
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and
rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology,
we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients
globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a
network of independent market research firms. For more information, please
visit www.harrisinteractive.com
*In this report, the word “consumer” represents adults 18+ living in the United
States.
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