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New customer service study: Service quality is decisive

Published on 2020-12-01

  • Study result: good customer experience is the strongest influencing factor in purchase decision
  • Accessibility vs. personal contact: significant development in the use of online channels
  • High expectations: despite an increased volume of enquiries through Corona, Germans' expectations are constant
  • 80% of German customers are satisfied with the quality of service in their country


Mainz, 26.11.2020 - Good customer service is very important to German consumers. 88% of those surveyed say that service quality influences the purchase decision, more than half state that the quality of service is more important than the price. According to the survey, 80% of Germans are satisfied with the quality of customer service they experience in their home country. Nevertheless, there are annoyances. Consumers still see the greatest annoyance in long waiting times and repeating their requests. In addition, the study commissioned by the organiser of the award "Gewählt zum Kundenservice des Jahres" shows which channels customers prefer and how consumer behaviour with regard to various online channels has developed in comparison to the previous year.

Purchase argument: customer service quality
88% of consumers still believe that the quality of customer service is the key factor in their purchasing decision. Money does not play the main role: a favourable price is moving into second place as a reason to choose a brand.

Online channels on the rise
In contrast to the previous year, the online area was used much more frequently. Personal chat requests, chatbots, instant messengers and requests via social media have increased significantly. Especially young participants think that companies should offer new media to help them make contact. The satisfaction of the different channels is mixed. Telephone and instant messenger are in second and third place in the ranking with 31 % each ("very satisfied"), followed by chat, call-back service and apps. Only 25 % state that they were "very satisfied" with e-mail contact.

How much sympathy is enough?
Consumers are most annoyed by long waiting times. Almost half of those questioned would not accept waiting times of more than one minute. The majority indicate that an e-mail should be answered in less than 24 hours. The opinions differ in social media: 20% accept a response time of between 30 and 60 minutes, while 21% would also accept up to 4 hours waiting time.

Download service study: https://kundenservicedesjahres.de/results#study