Online helpdesk spreads satisfaction in NZ - Updated

Kiwis and Australians are some of the easiest people in the world to please, while Indians and especially the French are the hardest, according to a report from cloud-based helpdesk software vendor Zendesk.

The company has released the first Customer Satisfaction Index in what it says will be quarterly reports on the state of customer service around the globe.

The figures are based on a Zendesk feature which allows companies to automatically contact customers who have recently made customer service requests, and collect feedback on how well those requests were answered.

New Zealand topped the poll, at 95% satisfaction, with Australia and Canada tied for second on 93%. French companies managed to meet their customers’ needs in just 57% of cases.

Michael Hansen, vice president and Asia Pacific managing director for Zendesk, says business in Australia and New Zealand process about 6000 queries per day through Zendesk.

"We are very pleased to see them at the top of the table for customer satisfaction,” Hansen says.

"More and more organisations in Australia and New Zealand are recognising just how important providing a good customer service can be in not only attracting new customers but retaining existing ones.”

Zendesk powers more than 100 million customer service interactions per year for its 15,000 customers, last year tripling its 2010 revenue. They’ve even made a map visualising the requests coming in in real time – go here to check it out.

Update: Zendesk has announced that its Starter Plan subscription will be offered to users for free for a year to anyone who donates US$20 to the Benioff Children's Hospital at the University of California.

Annual subscriptions will renew with annual donations; a Starter subscription previously cost US$324 per year. Go here for more.