Customers return perfectly good products. Over $25 billion dollars worth. That’s billion with a ‘B’. That is what it cost companies to deal with customer returns in 2007.
But wait, there’s most bad news. At least two-thirds of those returned products—and up to 85%—were categorized as ‘no trouble found’ by manufacturers. “In other words, the products did not meet the customer’s requirements or expectations, or were perceived as faulty by the customer, yet yielded no detectable fault or problem when tested by the retailer, carrier, or manufacturer.“
That’s the conclusion of an exhaustive report by Accenture: Big Trouble with “No Trouble Found” Returns. Among other findings, this practice “demonstrates that weaknesses in the design, packaging, and documentation of devices can have a major impact on ‘no trouble found’ returns.”
Two solutions: better education programs and improved technical documentation for your products. The result: lower return costs, increased sales revenue, and more satisfied customers.
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