Retail merchants that are paying more than mere lip service to customer service are on the receiving end of more sales, according to a new report from ForeSee Results.

The customer satisfaction analysis firm recently polled a number of consumers to see which retailers were doing the best job of meeting their shoppers' expectations. Amazon.com was the 2011 leader during the holiday shopping period, charting No. 1 with 88 points. Avon, JCPenney, QVC, Apple and VistaPrint were other leaders.

At the other end of the spectrum, Overstock.com ranked as the worst at 72 points. Gap followed closely behind at 73 points.

"Customer satisfaction is a leading indicator of consumer spending, and the bump in the Index is good news for online retailers," Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee, said in a statement relayed by ABC. "Unemployment is down, consumer confidence is up, and holiday retail sales are up from last year."

Retailers looking to capture more sales this year – particularly online – need to reconsider their customer service practices. Regardless of whether they are available through desktop computers, mobile devices or brick-and-mortar stores, they should have a flexible and easy-to-understand customer service regimen.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Wednesday, January 4th, 2012 at 9:31 am .