Company E-mail Customer Service Poor

LABELLE, FL. -- According to a recent report by Jupiter Research, companies
offering e-mail as a customer service are doing a poor job at responding to
inquiries. 39% took three days or longer to reply, or didn't respond at all,
according to the report. Unfortunately for those companies, customers tend
to take their business elsewhere when an e-mail inquiry is ignored. 85% of
online consumers say they would be less likely to buy from that merchant
online, and 55% say they would be less likely to buy from the merchant even
offline. Ignored e-mails will drive up company costs as well, the report
says, since customers will phone a company service rep after ignored online
inquiries.

In Hendry and Glades county we've noticed this lack of online customer
service as well from nearly all local companies that display email addresses
in advertising. Particularly bad, are real estate brokers. We can't recall
ever receiving a prompt reply to an email inquiry from a real estate agent
even as they display their e-mail address proudly in advertising online and
offline, and on "for sale" signs.