Quality assurance company used a team of mystery shoppers across the U.S. to send 1,125 emails to 25 of the largest U.S. retailers with basic questions such as "Can accessories be returned to stores?" or "Does this product come in a size 6?". The most common problem was customer service reps didn't answer all questions asked.
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"In general, a lot of companies have a lot of pressure on their support team to get things done quickly," STELLAService CEO Jordy Leiser tells Mashable. "The volume of customer service questions they get gives them an overwhelming feeling that there will always be more to do."
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This pressure leads many companies to encourage employees to answer questions with links to FAQ pages or other website indexes. This forces customers to seek answers for themselves, which is ultimately an unhelpful tactic, according to Leiser.
LLBean performed best in the customer service test with 88.9% of emails answered completely. Gap, Zappos, Victoria's Secret and Tiger Direct placed in the top five. The study also found certain companies including and Macy's were going above and beyond in the customer service they provided.
These companies answered emails with extraordinary detail about products. Reps even linked to products from other companies if they didn't carry what the customer was looking for, Leiser says.
Apparel companies generally ranked better in their customer service than electronics companies and mass merchant companies such as Walmart.
The size of a company didn't affect their ranking, Leiser says. Having a larger customer service team didn't correlate with quality. The study showed that large companies often didn't establish personal connections with their customers that smaller companies were successful in establishing.
Leiser provides these tips in getting great customer service online:
1. Include the product purchase confirmation email when reaching out to a customer service agent for the first time.2. Use a subject line that's striking and never something abrasive.
3. Make sure to include additional contact information. A phone number or Twitter handle may help you get answers faster.
4. If you need a quick answer, consider tweeting at the company.
5. Be thorough about what you are asking. If you are vague, they may dismiss you or won't know how to answer your question.
6. Make sure your email is clear (check spelling, use punctuation, include some level of formality).
7. Don't write a novel.
Do you often have trouble receiving quality customer service online? Let us know in the comments.
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This story originally published on Mashable .
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