Study Finds Electronic Business Provides Increased Service but Customer Service Challenges Abound
Business Wire, March 17, 2025

Only 36% of e-customers are satisfied with their Internet purchasing experiences, declares a groundbreaking study conducted by International Customer Service Association (ICSA) and e-Satisfy.com (formerly TARP). This recently completed investigation delves into new dimensions of the customer service frontier and provides a benchmark for expectations and behavior in the new e-commerce models.

As this survey uncovers the hopes and frustrations of customer service on the Internet, the implications of it will help shape the future of e-commerce. With the expansion of the World Wide Web, the modern customer is more inclined to use electronic contacts versus the more traditional phone or mail contact, especially for customer service related issues. And as the nation's access to the Internet grows, more consumers are browsing the Web for their shopping needs.

This collaborative study by ICSA and e-Satisfy.com provides some of the first benchmarking tools in measuring electronic customer behavior. Contact response expectations, customer satisfaction with current practices, the impact of electronic customer service on customer behavior and loyalty were all topics addressed in the survey, as well as how companies are handling electronic customer service contacts.

Surveying over 50,000 customers who had electronically contacted one of the sixteen sponsored companies, this study took an all-encompassing approach in evaluating the progress of customer service within e-commerce. The study also solicited responses from e-commerce as well as brick and mortar companies to gauge how they are providing customer service over the Internet and the realities that they are facing.

Some of the findings of the study include

- E-customers have higher expectations for both acknowledgment and final response time than company service standards.

- Only 36% of e-customers are satisfied with their electronic contacting experience.

- Poor handling of e-contacts create 30-48% lower customer loyalty among the two-thirds of e-contactors who are not satisfied.

- E-customers across all industries expect acknowledgment of their e-contact within one hour. However, only 12% receive an acknowledgment within an hour and only 42% receive one with 24 hours.

- Surprisingly, as e-contacts increase, the volume of phone and mail contacts is generally not changing.

- One-fourth of all companies are pushing outgoing e-mails to customers with suggestions and promotions. Only one-third of e-customers indicate a high interest in receiving such e-mails.

The ICSA/e-Satisfy.com study is available for sale now through www.icsa.com/public/pubs. For more information about the survey, contact Eden Segal at e-Satisfy.com via email at eden@esatisfy.com or phone at 703/524-1456.

Founded in 1981, ICSA is dedicated to promoting the development and awareness of the customer service profession through networking, education and research. Globally, ICSA membership exceeds 3,000 customer service professionals who benefit from a full range of programs, including an annual conference, exclusive surveys, member research studies and a World Wide Web site, www.icsa.com.

e-Satisfy.com is a leading Internet intelligence company based in Arlington, VA, focusing on cross-channel customer experience measurement. E-Satisfy.com is the collaboration of two leading companies in measuring customer satisfaction, Customer Insights, Inc.

("CI") and TARP. Customer Insights, founded in 1998 is an Internet satisfaction measurement company. TARP, founded in 1971, is the venerable call center customer satisfaction measurement firm and the leader in showing that customer care could be a profit center.