Home topics news Management News Public Relations Management Customer satisfaction levels dire in 10 key industries Stephanie Zillman November 19, 2013 Customer review websites are both the friend and foe of small business. One one hand, easily accessible online reviews can spur a customer to buy a product, utilise a service, or try a new venue. On the other – negative reviews are there for all to see, and can be a sure-fire turnoff for otherwise green customers. A new survey conducted by review platform WOMO.com.au identified ten key industries which are currently receiving the best and worst online reviews when it comes to customer satisfaction . Based on which businesses received the most and least ‘stars’ across quality, service and value, WOMO mined data from 350,000 reviews published during the past six months across hundreds of industries. Notably B2B professional services ranked the worst for overall consumer satisfaction – and advertising and marketing services was identified as the most negatively reviewed industry. This was followed by real estate agencies, employment and recruitment agencies, and website developers and hosting sites. ‘Dodgy tradies’ also ranked poorly in the customer satisfaction stakes, with bathroom renovators, and fencing/ gate suppliers singled out as the worst of the trades. “ Where it goes wrong within these industries is that many owners tend to think of their business as a series of one-off transactions. They push hard for the sale and forget that the customer’s experience matters,” Fiona Adler from WOMO said. “No-one likes the