Customers demand service support during online journey

Shoppers may be happier seeking out in-store customer support but new research has revealed the same is true during their online journey.

LivePerson’s Connecting with Customers Report surveyed over 5,700 online consumers from the UK, USA, Australia, France, Germany and Italy examine the expectation of online service levels and the reality of what organisations are able to deliver.

The research revealed that 83% of online users admit that they need some form of support during their online journey. 71% expect to be able to access help when purchasing online within five minutes, whilst 31% expect this help to be immediate.

Nearly half of consumers (48%) said that if they didn’t receive support during their expected time frame they would go elsewhere or abandon the purchase altogether – with the highest figures in the UK (58%) and lowest in Italy (39%).

Additionally, over half of respondents (59%) said they would like to have more choice in how they contact online brands with a staggering 93% seeing real time help being of use in at least one online shopping scenario.

Tony Heyworth from LivePerson, said: “There seems to be a perception among consumers and businesses that the web is a self-service environment. But the reality is that online consumers expect and need to find the same levels of help and customer service as they would in a physical store.

“One things for sure, there are a growing number of consumers out there, screaming at their computer, smartphone or tablet that often feel they have no option but to give up in frustration, abandon their purchase and hop to another website. To retain customers and really improve customer loyalty, online businesses need to be able to identify the levels and type of help that consumers require, based on their behaviours, and respond accordingly.”