Research highlights from Purdue University. (The Purdue Page).

Top Bar Chart Question: In your most recent experience in calling for customer service assistance, how did the telephone agent do in satisfying your needs and handling your call?

Finding: he chart shows responses to whether the caller felt the manner in which the representative handled the call exceeded, met or failed to meet expectations. Respondents who indicated their expectations were 'met" or "exceeded" were asked the next question in the survey. Those whose experience "failed to meet" expectations skipped the next question.

As the graphic shows, a significantly smaller percentage of peoples' expectations were "exceeded" than "met."

Top Pie Chart Question: Based on this positive experience, will you choose this company over its competitors in the future?

Finding: Pie chart shows the results of only those respondents who said that their call handling experience either "met" or "exceeded" their expectations. As you can see, most said they would use the company again in the future.

Lower Pie Chart Question: Based on this negative experience, will you stop using this company in preference to its competitors in the future?

Finding: Pie chart shows the results for only those respondents who indicated that the call handling had "not met their expectations." As you can see, the majority of participants would move to a competitor after their bad experience with the call center.

Did the telephone agent meet your expectations?

                               Percent
                             Respondents

Exceeded Expectations            16
Met Expectations                 72
Failed to Meet Expectations      12

Note: Table made from bar graph

Would you still use the company in the future?

                                  Yes  No

After Good Experience Would Use   86%  14%
Company in Future
After Bad Experience, Would Stop  63%  37%
Using Company in Future

[C]BenchmarkPortal, Inc./Purdue University

Note: Table made from pie chart