A World of Quicker-Than-Ever Response Times
April/May 2019Amazon’s business practices have changed our expectations about how long it should take to receive what we buy online. By offering Amazon Prime subscriptions that include “free” two-day delivery, they have made shipping a critical part of the value-proposition for all online shopping experiences. “Free” and “two-day” shipping are now a benchmark that has had a ripple effect for competitors and shipping services alike, forcing other companies to step up their games.
But beware! This time squeeze affects more than packages. Expectations of a fast response extend to other forms of customer service and engagement. Recent research found 84 percent of consumers expect a response to an email in less than 24 hours.1 The acceptable time for a response on social media is just a few hours. Longer time frames can be perceived as disrespect or signal that a company is out of touch with today’s consumer.
Perhaps even more daunting to many companies, 81 percent of consumers expect businesses to recognize, link and acknowledge conversations from all points of contact—chats, social media and emails—as part of the ongoing company-customer relationship.2 Consumers are now multichannel and expect your company to be there, too.
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