2009 CUSTOMER

EXPERIENCE IMPACT REPORT

Copyright 2009 RightNow Technologies, Inc.

2009 CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IMPACT REPORTAlthough consumers have always had expectations—to be heard, supported, and valued—never before have they expected a great experience to accompany every interaction. Now, empowered by the social web, consumers are forcing change. Companies can no longer manage the customer relationship; however they can control the experience they deliver to customers.

The 2009 Customer Experience Impact Report, the fourth of its kind, commissioned by RightNow Technologies and conducted by Harris Interactive® supports this paradigm shift, showing that consumer expectations are high, social networking is amplifying consumer voices and never before has delivering great customer experiences been more critical.

A NEw GENERATION Of CONSUMERS wITh Sky-hIGh EXPECTATIONS

For the last several years, the Customer Experience Impact (CEI) Report has shown that 21st century consumers expect great customer experiences.

The 2009 CEI survey confirmed, again, that consumers are challenging companies to sit up and take notice; and if they aren’t willing to care for their customers, they will go elsewhere:

86% of consumers quit doing business with a company due to a bad customer experience, up •27% from 4 years ago Even in a down economy, customer experience remains the top priority; 60% of consumers •will always or often pay more for a better experience, up from 58% in 2008

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CONSUMERS DEMAND GREAT CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

EVEN IN A DOwN ECONOMy, CONSUMERS wILL PAy MORE fOR A BETTER EXPERIENCE

Percent of consumers that will never go back to a company after a bad customer experience

Percent of consumers that will always or often pay more for a better customer experience

TODAy’S CONSUMER wIELDS SOCIAL POwER

Word-of-mouth is nothing new, but with the rise of social networking, one-to-one complaints have quickly become one-to-hundreds or thousands. Today’s consumers are empowered and if their expectations aren’t met, they have multiple avenues to express their dissatisfaction.

In 2006, respondents reacted to bad customer experiences by swearing •(29%) or shouting (21%) which have fallen to 20% and 14% respectively. Nowadays, consumers are taking their anger and acting on it via word of mouth and social channels82% of consumers that had a bad experience told others about it, up •22% since 2006Many consumers that had a bad customer experience and told others •about it shared their experience online by posting a negative customer review on the company’s website (23%), Facebook (7%), or a blog (6%)

UNDERSTANDING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS

Consumers prefer to go to an organization’s website for help first. They want an interactive and engaging website experience that allows them to quickly and easily find the information they need.

62% of consumers online who have ever had a problem •researching a product/service or with the product/service itself go to a company/brand’s website to find information 28% of consumers online said that by improving website •usability and search functionality companies can better engage with them to encourage them to spend more

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MORE AND MORE CONSUMERS ARE TELLING OThERS ABOUT BAD CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES

In 2009, 82% of consumers that had a bad experience told others about it, up 22% since 2006

of consumers go to a company’s website to find information if they are having a problem

62%

If consumers can’t find what they need online, they want the option to engage with a live person. These personal interactions require a live customer service agent to answer the phone, respond to an email or chat online when they engage with a company.

73% prefer to speak directly to a live customer service agent•66% want to send an email when they interact with a company•When consumers are researching a company’s product or service online or having •a problem with a product/service, they usually call (62%) or email (49%) the company directly18% of consumers want to be able to chat online with a live agent when they are •having a problem

Consumers that are online are now even looking to find company information on the social web.

12% of online consumers said they would prefer to interact with an organization in •online forums and 5% said the same about social networking sites43% of online consumers use a search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo!) when they have •a problem researching a company’s products or services or with the products/services themselves

OPPORTUNITIES IN ThE CONTACT CENTER, ONLINE AND IN SOCIAL NETwORkS

Almost all personal interactions with consumers (via phone, email, online chat) go through the contact center, giving organizations an opportunity to not only engage with customers, but improve loyalty and drive sales.

Agent influenced sales have increased 83% in the past year, increasing from 24% to 44%•51% of consumers who have contacted a company looking for customer service and •ended up making another purchase based on the agent’s recommendation made the other purchase because the offer was relevant and complimentary to what they had already purchased. When agents are armed with relevant information, they can be even more successful

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CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS ARE DRIVING SALES

Agent influenced sales have increased 83% in the past year, increasing from 24% to 44%

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Organizations can also tap into the power of the social web to monitor conversations, provide better service, deliver information, identify advocates, and ensure superior customer experiences.

Consumers that are online are looking for service and support on Twitter:58% said if they had complained about a bad experience with a company on a •social networking site, such as Twitter, they would like the company to reach out directly and respond to their comment

When online consumers follow a particular brand on Twitter, they are looking for information:

62% are looking for special offers•38% are looking for tips or advice •

Online consumers are also likely to follow their favorite brands: 59% simply love the brand and want to be a part of its community •24% want to advocate the company’s brand or organization’s mission or work•

CUSTOMER TRENDS ON TwITTER

24% want to advocate the company’s brand or work

38% are looking for tips or advice

62% are looking for special offers

It is clear that consumer expectations are high and they demand excellent customer experiences. This presents a challenge for businesses, but it also presents an opportunity. In addition to complaining, consumers are willing to recommend companies to others because of outstanding service. 53% of consumers will recommend a company to someone else because they provide outstanding service; more so than on low prices (50%) and top quality products/services (41%).

53% of consumers will recommend a company to someone else because they provide

more so than on low prices (50%) and top quality products (41%)

OUTSTANDING SERVICE

ABOUT RIGhTNOw TEChNOLOGIES

RightNow is helping rid the world of bad experiences one consumer interaction at a time, 7 million times a day. RightNow CX, the customer experience suite, helps organizations deliver exceptional customer experiences across the web, social networks and contact centers, all delivered via the cloud. With more than eight billion customer interactions delivered, RightNow is the customer experience fabric for nearly 2000 organizations around the globe. To learn more about RightNow, go to www.rightnow.com.

RightNow is a registered trademark of RightNow Technologies, Inc. NASDAQ is a registered trademark of the NASDAQ Stock Market.

METhODOLOGy

This Customer Experience Impact Report was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of RightNow Technologies between September 11-15, 2009 among 2,295 U.S. adults ages 18 years or older. Results were weighted as needed for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Results were also weighted as needed to reflect the composition of the U.S. online adult population using targets on the basis of Internet usage (hours per week) and connection type as well as by age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please visit www.rightnow.com/resource-ra-4th-customer-experience-impact-report.php

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com

*In this report, the word “consumer” represents adults 18+ living in the United States.

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