A Comparative Study of Service Response Times for Domestic and Foreign Brands

We also compare the responsiveness of domestic and international brands, analyzing the quality of online customer service, call center performance, and repair times, to help consumers understand the differences between the various brands.By combining real feedback from users with statistics, we offer suggestions to help you avoid "minefields" after purchase.

Why is post-sales response time so important?

When people buy electronics or digital products, they usually only care about the specifications and the price, but only when something goes wrong do they realize that the speed of the company's response determines how much of a headache they will have.For example, if your water heater springs a leak in the middle of the night, or your computer suddenly goes black, how quickly can customer service respond, and how soon will the technician arrive?

How to make comparisons?

To get as close as possible to reality, we selected 10 popular brands from around the world (five from Taiwan, five from overseas), covering three categories: smartphones, household appliances, and smart devices.The test consists of three steps.

Online customer service response test.

On a workday at 8: 00 PM and on the weekend at 10: 00 AM, ask the same question (such as "the machine won't turn on") to customer service and record the time of the first response and the length of time it takes for the problem to be solved.

The rate of connection on telephone hotlines.

The study measured the length of time callers had to wait, and the success rate of being transferred to a human operator, for peak hours (12: 30 p.m.

Maintenance service follows suit.

Simulate a repair request, record the time from submitting the application to the engineer calling you back, and the number of days you actually wait for the engineer to come and fix your problem.

What is the difference between local and foreign brands?

Instant response: Instant response is more common for domestic brands.

The average response time for customer service for Taiwanese brands is two minutes or less, with some achieving a "one-second response," while foreign brands typically take five to 10 minutes.However, the foreign brands 'solutions are more systematic, such as direct push text and graphic tutorials or remote diagnostic tools.

Telephone service: Foreign brands take longer.

In tests, a European brand had a peak wait time of over 15 minutes, whereas a domestic brand was able to keep wait time to under five minutes.But the professionalism of customer service offered by international brands is higher, and there is less buck-passing.

Maintenance and repair: Local advantage is clear.

For domestic brands, the average time from reporting a repair to the service technician's arrival is 2.3 days, and in the major cities the technician can often arrive the next day. But because of the limited distribution of service points, it may take four to seven days for a technician from an overseas brand to arrive.

Real user complaints and praise.

We collected 200 pieces of user feedback, and found two major pain points.

– Domestic brands respond quickly but drag their feet on repairs. "The customer service department immediately replied, 'It's been recorded,' but I had to wait three days for the repair.

Foreign brands have strict procedures but are inefficient: "I had to confirm the time of the service call five times by phone before they would come, but the technician only needed one visit to fix it" (user of a US brand).

How do you choose?

For efficiency, choose a domestic brand.

If you are an impatient person or use your product (such as a router or refrigerator) frequently, we recommend choosing a brand with many service centers in Taiwan.

If you want quality, choose an overseas brand.

For high-end, durable goods, such as high-end cameras and imported kitchen appliances, you should check whether the warranty covers the whole of Taiwan.

A compromise is a hybrid brand.

Some foreign brands have established dedicated after-sales teams in Taiwan (like a certain Japanese electronics brand), and their response time is almost as fast as that of domestic brands.

Finally, no matter which brand you choose, be sure to find out before you buy the details of the warranty, such as the date on which it begins, and whether it includes a service call.