Customer experience defines the success of your business. This isn’t news to any company, yet online reviews are telling us that many businesses are still getting it very wrong.
Fortunately, we can learn from the successes – and mistakes – of others. A recent survey by PissedConsumer analyzed 35,419 consumer responses captured on its platform during 2025 and then ranked businesses according to how well they deliver on their service promises. The results provide some lessons every business needs to learn.
Analyzing the data, we discovered:
- Human support beats automation,
- and streaming services dominate customer satisfaction,
- but food delivery and big tech struggle.
This article outlines how any business can listen to indirect customer feedback and improve its customer service offering.
How to improve the solutions offered to customers
Investing in an AI platform to answer simple questions, find basic solutions, and be available around the clock can make a significant impact on customer satisfaction.
What separates many of the best and worst customer service companies is how well they respond to consumer needs. According to PissedConsumer data, only 23 percent of customers are satisfied when companies do offer solutions, and 58 percent of shoppers report no response from the companies they contact.
If you’re trying to win a prize for the worst customer service, ignoring your clients' needs and requests is a great place to start.
Thankfully, you have additional support that wasn’t available just a few years ago. AI options help address your shoppers' needs with minimal human intervention. Data from Zendesk suggests AI might resolve as many as 8 in 10 issues without human involvement in the coming years.
But what about the human factor?
Customers still need human support, especially for complex problems that require a personal approach. Companies with the best customer support processes strike a balance between automated tools for simple, easy-to-resolve concerns and rapid human support for more complex issues.
According to Deloitte research, brands that excel at personalization are 71 percent more likely to report improved customer loyalty. One example of implementing personalization is giving customers control over how they receive personalized information, clearly outlining the terms of data collection during their interactions with the business, and ensuring that the process is used exclusively to tailor the experience to each customer.
Companies with the best customer service have found ways to integrate that personalized, human experience into customer service interactions. Data from a recent survey by McKinsey found that 57 percent of leaders expect call volume to increase over the next few years – evidence that AI doesn’t solve all problems, and that companies require investment in personalized support as well as AI solutions.
How can you use feedback to improve your business?
Companies at ranking lowest in the best and worst customer service list have failed to provide customers with fast, personalized solutions.
To ensure you land near the top of the list, lean into the consumer feedback you have access to: your own business site, customer surveys, and external review platforms.
Use these reviews to guide your operational decisions. Are customers complaining that they can’t get someone on the phone? Increase the number of personal representatives available to customers.
Do customers find your website hard to navigate? Add a chatbot to help consumers find simple answers or items during a website overhaul. Are you using a contractor model? Many of the companies at the bottom of the best and worst support list had individuals reselling or delivering items – consider a more centralized or streamlined approach to operations.
Do shoppers complain that your business lacks the human touch? Train your customer service staff to respond with empathy and allow them autonomy to proactively design solutions to individual concerns, providing that touch of personalization and authenticity.
Consumer feedback is always there to guide your improvements.
Quick links
- Customer centricity, company growth, and the future of customer listening
- The A-Z of customer complaints in 2026
- 3 Customer service trends to follow for better brand reputation