May 23
What are Puerto Ricans looking for in good customer service?
May 23, 2016
Ana Marrero, a 48-year-old resident of Guaynabo, says that she always gets service at her neighborhood pharmacy and local bakery that surpasses her expectations. The employees in those stores know her, they’re friendly, and they always try to get her the product she needs. She says she prefers these businesses over others where the employees are “cold and unfriendly.” The mother of four does not hesitate to recommend her favorite businesses to others.
If you are a local entrepreneur, surely you will be interested to know that Ana was one of 520 people interviewed in person, house by house, around the Island to learn their expectations about good customer service. Banco Popular’s Business Banking Division asked Gaither International, a marketing research firm, to develop the study so the results could be shared with small and medium-size businesses. The interviews were conducted in March, 2016, to adults age 18 or older throughout Puerto Rico.
What do some Puerto Ricans think defines good service?
Gaither’s analysis showed that for Puerto Rican consumers, “being friendly” is the most important characteristic when buying a product or service, whether in person or by telephone.
In the study, consumers responded to the question: “When you look for information or buy a product or service, by telephone or in person, what are the most important attributes you expect in the people or employees who are helping you or attending to you?” Gaither asked them to rank 13 characteristics associated with good customer service on a scale of 1 to 3.
The 5 main characteristics selected by those polled were related to the treatment by the employees:
- Friendliness
- Being greeted and saying goodbye. When the service is by telephone, the expectation is that the employee will “say your name and pay attention”
- Being patient even if a problem arises
- Knowing how to listen
- Knowledge of the product or service being sold
- The four most common responses were personality characteristics that can be described as “positive”: concerned about price (68%), patient (66%) careful (66%) and flexible (54%)
- Men are more flexible than women
- People over 55 reported being more patient and careful than young people (ages 18 to 34) and adults (ages 35 to 54)
- Compared to men, women are more moderate, meaning they take the price into consideration when buying a product or service
- People over 55 showed the same tendency toward flexibility as young people and a greater tendency to be patient and careful