Almost three quarters of consumers will never forgive a small business that gives them poor customer service, according to a new poll.

Seventy-two per cent of those questioned by O2 made this vow, whilst 67 per cent said they would tell tales of this poor service to at least eight people.

According to freshbusinessthinking.com, ease of communication ranked very highly amongst the survey’s respondents, with 71 per cent expecting little delay when trying to contact a business. A fifth of those questioned expected to be able to communicate with a company at any time of the day.

The statistics provide a clear message for anyone looking to start a franchise or their own brand; treat customers like royalty.

It was also revealed that 78 per cent of customers research a business online before using it, with 63 per cent expecting it to have a website and social media presence.

Commenting on his company’s research, O2’s general manager of small business Paul Lawton told bdaily.co.uk: “We believe customers should be at the heart of any business and this includes our own organisation. As the research shows, customer service and the ability to respond and be flexible is a key requirement for small businesses.”