Brazilians are the Most Demanding in Customer Service

November 11, 2013

A survey conducted by Zendesk among customers from 125 countries reveals that 79% of Brazilians expect to receive excellent service and 40% admit to having a less tolerant behavior towards problems with products and services

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – November 11, 2013 – According to a survey by Zendesk, a provider of cloud-based customer service software, Brazilian consumers are the world’s most impatient when it comes to complaining about a product or service. When they get in touch with a company’s customer service, they expect quick and efficient resolution to their problem.

The habit of buying online in addition to brick-and-mortar stores has become common in Brazil and generated a new market need: customer service excellence. This behavioral change requires unified service to satisfy customers according to their expectations.

In Brazil, there are multiple channels that can be used to complete a purchase. According to the survey, 86% of purchases made over the last six months, whether in physical or online stores, have involved different platforms.

This generates an increase in demand for consumer service. Among the most requested, 82% are technical support over the telephone or specialized locations. In the last six months, broadband providers and media companies had an 80% increase in demand for customer service. The number of consumers who contacted online retailers to get answers to their questions or to complain reached 76%.

In contrast with the Japanese, Brazilian consumers are very impatient. 40% of them admit having a behavior that is less tolerant of problems with products and services in relation to other nationalities (see Figure 17). Only 8% claim to accept such inconvenience.

Consumer expectations in this field are high. 79% of them expect to receive excellent service, and this standard rises each year. With the wide and frequent use of the customer service market and impatient consumers, expectations regarding the time needed to respond to and solve a problem are incomparable.

80% of consumers state they want an answer on the same day when contact is made by email. The expectation for solving problems within 24 hours is even higher (90% of consumers).

With regards to answers via social media, the expectation is also high: 79% expect a response within two hours.

Despite the rigorous demand regarding response time, brands seem to be adapting to this new standard. The customer service deficit in Brazil is minimal, with a satisfaction rating in excess of 80% when it comes to agility of service and 82% when it comes to resolution (Figure 18).

In an attempt to solve their problem as fast as possible, 62% of consumers try any available channel, a figure significantly higher than the world average of 45%.

The need for an integrated and continuous service is vital in Brazil. More than half of the consumers expect to receive an answer about any complaint or request relating to the purchase made, even through a different channel than the one used to complete the purchase. However, 83% believe brands pay more attention to sales generation in different channels than providing an integrated experience in the customer support center.

When a brand has an integrated system that provides fast responses, 64% of buyers would recommend the brand to a friend or family member, and 44% of them would consider buying again from that channel if they have good service.

The costs of not integrating customer service are very high, and research shows that 54% of buyers will share negative customer support experiences with friends and family, a significant number in relation to the world average of 36%.

Figure 17: Likelihood to contact customer services relative to others                                                    

Figure 18: Customer service performance

About Zendesk

Zendesk builds cloud software for better customer service, bringing companies and their customers closer together. With Zendesk, companies engage directly and openly with customers, building more meaningful customer relationships that last a lifetime. More than 30,000 companies, such as Gilt Groupe, Disney and Box, use Zendesk to provide service to more than 200 million people worldwide. Founded in 2007 and based in San Francisco, Zendesk has offices in nine countries and funding from Charles River Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Goldman Sachs, GGV Capital, Index Ventures, Matrix Partners and Redpoint Ventures. Learn more at www.zendesk.com.

This is a translation of a press release originally issued in Portuguese.