RFP News

Published on Sep 25, 2009

Americans waiting at home endlessly for a service or delivery appointment has long been a customer service “elephant in the room.” But now a new survey brings the cost and frustration of waiting into the spotlight.

In June, TOA Technologies partnered with Harris Interactive to conduct a national consumer survey to measure the economic impact of long appointment wait windows on companies and consumers. The TOA Technologies 2009 Cost of Waiting Survey, which polled more than 2,000 Americans from around the country, found the following impact on consumers:

• 32% have taken a sick day or vacation day to wait at home for a service call or delivery in the first six months of 2009.

• Almost 1 in 5 Americans lost wages by taking unpaid time off work to wait at home in the first six months of 2009.

• 29% have left their home in frustration because the service/delivery person was late.

• 82% wait on average at least 1 day per year in their homes for service calls or deliveries.

The survey results also indicate that companies suffer when their customers experience excessive wait times. According to the TOA Technologies 2009 Cost of Waiting Survey, companies lose revenue, reputation and customer retention because they leave customers waiting without knowing when the appointment will actually happen:

• 37% of consumers think long wait times occur because companies take advantage of the consumer who wants or needs the service.

• 18% of consumers have refused or cancelled a product/service because the service/delivery person was late or didn`t show up at the promised time.

• 57% of consumers say the company providing the service is at fault if the delivery/service is late or doesn`t show.

“With the re-emergence of great service from companies like Amazon, FedEx and Zappos, people are starting to expect better customer care. Long, multi-hour wait windows for service appointments in the home are not only unacceptable today, they’re unnecessary,” says Yuval Brisker, CEO of TOA. ”It’s about time and money; companies who inconvenience their customers by forcing them to lose wages and vacation time by haplessly waiting at home for appointments without providing smaller wait windows and updated appointment status information are ignoring a key aspect of great customer service.”

For a full report of the survey results, including additional graphics and demographic data, please click here .

TOA provides the customer-focused mobile workforce management Software-as-a-Service solution. TOA software’s predictive algorithms efficiently plan, route and help manage appointments and proactive communications for thousands of technicians in some of the world’s largest field service companies. *

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