Automotive Business Review — February 2018

36 WORDS IN ACTION http://www.abrbuzz.co.za

CUSTOMER C.A.R.E. - SPONSORED BY FEDERAL-MOGUL

by Dr Trilogy

2017 has been an interesting year so we decided to get a little
philosophical and discuss why people are more likely to leave
negative reviews as opposed to positive ones.

Why is it that consumers are more likely to talk about negative
experiences than positive experiences? It may be due to emotion,
negativity bias, unmet expectations, the increasingly rapid pace
of life, or a combination of these factors. According to a ZenDesk
survey, bad news travels fast. The study revealed that 95% of
customers shared bad experiences with others, while 87% shared
good experiences. It also showed that verbally, 54% shared
bad experiences with over fi ve people, and 33% shared good
experiences with over fi ve people. Meanwhile online, 45% shared
bad experiences, and 30% shared good experiences. Another
survey found that 71% posted complaints online due to failing
customer service. They also found that 30% of people posted
online to vent negative feelings, while just 23% posted purely for
vengeance.

SO WHY ARE THERE MORE COMPLAINTS?

Some of the reasons that consumers may be more likely to leave
a negative review rather than a positive review on platforms such
as Hellopeter include the following:

• Emotions play an important role. Disappointment and frustration
  are often strong drivers, prompting people to vent. It takes a

REFLECTIONS ON

CUSTOMER

C.A.R.E.

by Dr Trilogy

The Essence of

Customer C.A.R.E.

94

Module

Consumer Complaints

It is a hard fact that customers complain about bad service far more than complimenting good service. This can be attributed to human

nature. Thus, the November 2017 newsletter from Hellopeter is instructive, in which they share their consumer insights, on the house!

We give our readers excerpts from this newsletter, under the headline “The Battle of Positive and Negative Reviews”:

matter of seconds for someone to bash out an angry post after

a bad experience.

• People typically have a negativity bias. This means that we
  receive and hear negative information more quickly than
  positive information. We also process and remember negative
  information at a faster rate than positive information.


• Expectations are not managed. Consumers have come to
  expect brands to deliver a high quality of product and service.
  As such, positive experiences are not seen as something over
  and beyond basic service, but rather something that is par
  for the course. Those loyal to a brand may want to share a
  good experience, but others may assume that good service
  is a given.


• Consumers are often busy and pushed for time. Adding to
  expectations, consumers feel justifi ed in speaking out about
  experiences that
  cause delays.
  When things do not
  work, consumers
  feel that their
  time has been
  misspent. This in
  turn increases the
  negative emotions.