Consumers say the customer service issues most likely to make them stop doing business with a company are uninformed agents and long wait times, according to recent research from The Northridge Group.

The report was based on data from a survey of 1,000 consumers in the United States age 18 and older.

Respondents rate uninformed agents as the customer service issue most likely to result abandoning a company; long wait times to reach an agent ranks second, followed by unfriendly agents and difficult-to-use automated systems.

Some 74% of consumers say they experience long wait times to reach a customer service agent frequently or very frequently; 70% say they encounter difficult-to-use automated systems frequently or very frequently.

Consumers rate the ability to resolve issues quickly as the most important characteristic of good customer service.

Consumers rate online chat as the easiest-to-use customer service channel; email ranks second, followed by phone.

About the research: The report was based on data from a survey of 1,000 consumers in the United States age 18 and older.