The latest research from online estate agent eMoov.co.uk highlights the advantages to running a customer service focused business in a world that, thanks to the internet, insists on ever more transparency and accountability. Although great customer service can be overlooked by some, it is an important tool in attracting new customers.
eMoov conducted a survey asking over 2000 of their sellers how they heard about the company, and the results show that word of mouth from friends and review sites rank highest.
The survey revealed that 29% of people heard about eMoov through a recommendation from a friend or family member, and a whopping 78% checked a third party review site like TrustPilot or AllAgents before signing up. This demonstrates that people rely on review sites during their estate agent search through the plethora of available options.
In other high value purchase decisions, 62% of respondents said that they trust friend’s recommendations, while 58% trust a review site in such decisions. When there is a large sum of money on the line, these statistics show that the majority of people will take advice from people they trust and from people that have had a positive experience in the past.
Ultimately, both recommendations from friends and favourable reviews influenced 86% of the people in the survey to list with eMoov, which shows the importance of strong customer service in practices in building a successful business.
Founder and CEO of eMoov.co.uk, Russell Quirk, commented:
“The former pillar of the estate agents’ window, that the high-street still cling to in terms of providing a competitive advantage over the online sector, is no longer an effective medium from which to secure a customer.
Many companies claim they have great customer service, but under closer scrutiny they often fall at the first hurdle. It isn’t about fabricated reviews and having shiny review site logos on your home page. It’s a culture that starts at the top of the company and flows downward. When done properly, it not only results in happy customers but repeated and ongoing business. Vitally, a genuine approach to great customer service ensures lower acquisition costs and far better unit economics. In contrast, some of our competitors are realising that no matter how much money they throw at marketing, if your reviews are poor, potential clients won’t be persuaded to transact”.
Treating people fairly, providing a great service and truly committing to outstanding customer service is far more cost effective than any marketing or advertising activity.”
