The Importance of a Good First Impression in Customer Service

We’ve all heard the saying that “first impressions count,” and nowhere is this more true than in the customer experience arena. While we hear the maxim often, we don’t really hear much about the data that backs this up. In a recent post on Zendesk, the results of a survey conducted by Dimensional Research showed just how important a good first impression is for a business.

Related Article: How decision tree driven interactive guides are used to improve customer service?

In a nutshell: a good impression will lead to a loyal customer, but a bad one will not only lead to an angry customer, but a customer that is very likely to tell others about the experience. Let’s look at the numbers. To begin, if a customer has a good first impression, then 24 percent are likely to stay loyal for up to two years, whereas a bad impression leads to avoidance of that brand or product for the same amount of time. Adding weight to the importance of a good impression is that 87 percent of people will tell at least one person about their experience, whereas 95 percent will talk about a bad one. In the social media area, 45 percent are more likely to discuss a bad experience. Compare this with the 38 percent who are likely to discuss a positive one. All of this means your business MUST put best foot forward every single time.

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