Ever had a crappy customer experience? What did you do?
Research by the boffins Thunderhead and Populus shows we are not a forgiving bunch. And why should we be? Brands may get it wrong only once but 25% of us will switch to the next best choice in the blink of an eye. Disappoint customers and you push them into the arms of your competitors; not a great ROI story for any CMO.

$1506 lost revenue from cancellations by unhappy customers.
So: avoid bleeding cash, make your customers happy.
25% of customers will go to a competitor after just one bad experience.
So: don’t give them a reason to dump you, give them reasons to love you.
45% will walk away from buying something if they have to go from pillar to post to purchase.
So: help your customers to buy from you in one easy-peasy step.
357,000 ‘dislikes’ by unhappy customers sharing their tales of woe.
So: listen to and learn from your customers.
19% are like elephants and will never forget – or forgive – after one bad experience, they will never trust you ever again. Forever is a long time to lose someone.
So: Don’t be a Loser, be a Keeper.
59% of customers feel they are in a one-way relationship with a brand. No one likes asking someone for a cuddle only to be told: “I’m busy watching a film”.
So: Don’t turn your back on your customers. Give them a hug instead.
58% have seen no improvement in their relationship with brands.
So: they’re giving you a big clue they could be about to dump you.
3 steps to happy customers and a better Marketing ROI
To avoid paying the price of having disappointed customers follow these 3 simple steps:
- Listen to them
- Engage with them
- Learn from them.
Make making your customers happy your top priority – now. Every minute you hesitate not making customer engagement your top priority – well, you do the maths.
Read Next… Infographic: The Engagement ROI Opportunity