Just because consumers are doing more of their buying online these days doesn’t mean the role of customer service has lost its value.
A recent survey rated customer satisfaction of the top 40 e-retailers in the U.S., proving that online service can sometimes be regarded as better than the brick-and-mortar experience.
ForeSee’s Holiday E-retail Satisfaction Index mined 8,500 customer responses between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and 24/7 Wall St. used the data to compile a list of the best and worst online stores this holiday season. 24/7 Wall St. determined that there’s not always a clear connection between customer service ratings and brand perception.
While the widely regarded brands often received high ratings, a few “troubled retailers” also received strong ratings for their online performance.
Of the top 10 best online stores, Amazon.com made it to the No. 1 spot and is expected to only increase in customer satisfaction levels. Avon.com followed at No. 2 and JCP.com at No. 3—although both companies hit some troubled spots recently in their stores.
The worst online stores included Sony.com and Gap.com, with Overstock.com ranking as the No. 1 worst for customer service.