Zappos.com Inc., the online shoes, clothing and accessories retailer had the top-ranked customer service in a new study commissioned by customer service ratings agency StellaService.
The rankings are based on evaluations of more than 300 customer service features, metrics and policies for each site. The evaluation, which breaks the shopping experience into three sub-ratings-online tools, shipping and returns, and customer support-is aimed at monitoring every customer touch point throughout the online buying process. Those three sub-ratings are averaged to determine the final score.
Zappos, which received a score of 88 out of a possible 100 points, was one of 11 online retailers with a score of 80 or higher. StellaService considers a score of 80 or above elite; 75 to 79 and 75 very good; 70 to 74 good; 65 to 69 fair; 60 to 64 mediocre; and 59 and lower poor.
The other retailers scoring above 80 were:
- Diapers.com, 87
- Blue Nile Inc., 86
- Staples Inc., 84
- Amazon.com Inc., 84
- L.L. Bean Inc., 82
- Crutchfield Corp., 82
- Sears Holding Corp., 81
- Best Buy Co., 81
- Apple Inc., 81
- Recreational Equipment Inc., 80
Customer service is important because consumers are willing to pay a premium for a good quality shopping experience, says the report. A survey that accompanied the report found that consumers were willing to pay 9.7% more for great customer service.
For online retailers, great customer service is even more important. The survey found that consumers would pay an even higher premium of 10.7% for excellent service at e-commerce sites. “Due to the seemingly distant and remote nature of online shopping, it makes sense that consumers would pay a higher premium to have the comfort and peace of mind that they will be taken care of in the case of a serious question, concern or problem,” says the report.
The survey of 304 consumers was conducted by Greenfield Online and developed by Ovum, part of the Datamonitor Group.