Customer Care Measurement & Consulting (CCMC) – working with the Center for Services Leadership at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, Confirmit and Bernett – conducted the independent 2017 National Customer Rage Study. 

This is the eighth study done since the first ever, which was completed by the 1976 White House, with John Goodman and Marc Grainer, CCMC principals, as part of the White House team.  

The 2017 Customer Rage Study reviews customer happiness with corporate customer care efforts since 1976, and identifies what corporate America needs to do to garner return on their customer care investments.

2017 National Customer Rage Study Methodology:

CCMC used telephone to interview a representative sample of 1,000 households.  2017 results’ overall margin of error is +1.9% -3.1%, at 95% confidence, the same as 2015’s.

Like all other waves of the Customer Rage Study, CCMC repeated core questions and focused on the most serious problem with products/services experienced in the past twelve months to maintain survey integrity.

This study wave also takes a look-see at the impact of the ability of customers to report their complaints about businesses easily on the web.

What Are Some of the Key Findings & Take-Aways of the 2017 Rage Study?

• Over $313 BILLION dollars is at risk to companies from doing customer care the wrong way;
• 56% of respondents had a serious problem with products or services in the prior twelve months, up from 32% in the White House Study;
• The incidence of the highest percentage of serious problems was the cable/satellite/TV industry;
• 34% of folks shared their complaint on the web;
• A complainant’s age matters in whether their complaint is posted on the web;
• Customer rage dropped from 2015 to 2017 by ten percentage points yet is still more than half, AND a number of other difficult emotions run high;
• Complaint handling practices improved from 2015 but still receive a failing grade;
• Telephone remains the primary preferred channel for complaining by a margin of 6 to 1;
• There’s no more free lunch.  In the 21st century, there is a loss of brand loyalty for failing to remedy customer complaints satisfactorily;
• 68% of satisfied customers will still recommend your brand; and
• Do customer care right, or don’t do it

2017 Customer Rage Study Infographic