Why Complaining Customers Are Better For Your Revenue Than Silent Shoppers

New research has found that silent shoppers can create a bigger hit to company revenues than those voicing their concerns.

In an ideal world the customer experience you provide is excellent and consistent, so your users are always happy with the service and you never get any complaints.

Unfortunately we don't live in an ideal world.

People make mistakes and some aspects are out of your control too, so it can be the way you handle a complaint that can make or break a customer relationship.

New research has delved into this part of custom experience and has found that a complaint isn't the worst case scenario - far from it.

Besides the fact that of course an issue is highlighted and it can be fixed going forward, it's the silent shoppers - those who are unsatisfied with an experience but decide not to say anything - that are the most likely to decrease their spend with a retailer.

SEE ALSO: Complaints Handling 101 - Really Understand What the Problem Is

The collaborative research from LoyaltyOne, Verde Group and Professor of Marketing and Psychology, Dr. Deborah Small, at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, polled 2,500 U.S. consumers.

About half of those questioned experienced an issue during their latest shopping outing. Of those customers, 81 per cent did not voice their concern and among these silent shoppers, 32 per cent said they were unlikely to recommend the retailer to friends and family, putting these shoppers at risk of decreasing their spend with the retailer.

By comparison, the study showed that shoppers who did notify retailers of their poor experience - and had their problem completely resolved - were 84 per cent less likely than silent shoppers to be at risk of decreasing their spend.

So rather than dreading the customer loudly voicing their complaint, be grateful that they're not silent shoppers who disappear to maybe never return again.