American adults are most likely to rate companies’ customer service via phone (90%) and online chat (85%) as meeting or exceeding expectations, according to a Northridge Group survey.
That result is likely related to these being the only channels through which a majority of respondents expect their issue to be resolved the first time they contact the company.
The phone is still the preferred method of customer service contact for half of respondents, ahead of email (27%) and online chat (14%).
Indeed, 77% reach first for the phone when they have an urgent customer service issue or inquiry, though email (47%) is a more common first touchpoint than the phone (24%) when it comes to a non-urgent issue.
Just 2% of respondents reported that social media is their preferred method to contact a company with a customer service issue or inquiry. Fully one-third said they usually get no response when contacting a company via social media.