Australian consumers are are more demanding and have more extreme expectations of brands online than US consumers.
But brands aren't anywhere near providing services that match up, a study by Lithium Technologies has unveiled.
Half of Aussies go online to voice dissatisfaction at brands, 86 per cent of people go online to get help online and 72 per cent expect a same day response, according to the study.
The company conducted an online survey of more than 1,000 people in May.
Brands are risking their reputations by not offering services that match expectations, according to Lithium Technologies CMO Katy Keim.
“Brands need to think from a disruption perspective and how customers are changing. In Australia we were surprised that people's expectations were more extreme that than we see in the US. There's a digital native here that feels more extreme than we see in the US,” she said.
Keim said there is a gap between what consumers expect here and what they receive.
More than two thirds (72 per cent) of Australians expect a same day response to online requests, compared with 66 per ent of people in the US.
Keim added that 41 per cent of Aussies want a response to an online query within an hour but “brands simply aren't equipped for that”.
Companies are still investing $300 billion globally into call centres, she said but but two thirds (64 per cent) of Australian consumers say a call centre is a last resort for customer service.
“There's conversation happening within all companies, digital is high on the agenda but where the rubber meets the road is where investment changes.
"Where we'll see disruption being managed [by brands] is when customers start shifting, not just to free Facebook pages, but investment of real dollars to how they are going to serve the needs of the customer,” she said.