Most Australian customers say data breaches are a deal-breaker and they will move providers

Most Aussie customers say there is one factor that would make them jump ship if their product or service provider let them down. Have your say.

More than half of all Australians would stop using a company if it got hacked or their data was compromised.

The research, included in the latest ServiceNow Customer Care report, revealed almost two thirds of Australian consumers had less trust in companies to keep their personal information safe and secure than they did last year.

The report also highlighted how Australians felt about customer service, with seven out of ten believing a quick resolution was critical to good customer service, while three in five believed getting through to someone quickly was important.

Many Australians prefer to speak to a person when they have an issue, with around a third preferring human interaction over a chatbot or automated service.

The report comes off the back of a series of serious data breaches involving high profile companies, such as Optus and Medibank, that were both attacked by hackers in 2022.

In September, a ransomware attack left millions of Optus customers’ sensitive information compromised. Less than a month later, Medibank, also fell victim to cyber attackers, resulting in the theft of customer information including Medicare numbers and medical history.

Medicare numbers and medical histories were compromised when Medibank was targeted by hackers. Picture: NCA NewsWire.

A spokesperson for Medibank said safeguarding data, transparency should a cybercrime take place, and support for anyone impacted was top of mind for customers.

“Throughout our response to the cybercrime and across our service more generally, our focus is on simplifying and personalising our customers’ experience regardless of the channel they choose,” the spokesperson said.

“A customer can pick up the phone and chat to someone in our contact centre in Melbourne if they wish. They can also chat to us online, pop into a store, or easily access self-service tools if that’s their preference.”

Optus fell victim to hackers in 2022. Picture: NCA Newswire

In a statement, the Commonwealth Bank said while its call centre handled more than 1 million talk hours per year, an increasing number of customers were turning to digital and phone-based banking.

An Optus spokesperson said data protection was “absolutely essential and we are committed to continuous improvements to better protect our customers.”

“We consistently listen to our customers’ feedback and are committed to finding improvements and ensuring a safer, connected and optimistic future for all,” the spokesperson said.

Originally published as Most Australian customers say data breaches are a deal-breaker and they will move providers