An Interactive Intelligence commissioned survey reveals the stark reality of today’s customer service industry with a staggering 79 per cent of consumers across the UK saying they have to contact between two and five people before getting a single complaint resolved.
The survey was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Interactive Intelligence and also found that 42 per cent of those consumers questioned had to wait longer than 20 minutes in a phone queue, with a small percentage even queuing for two hours or more.
The survey was carried out earlier this month, from a sample of over 2,000 consumers across the UK, looking specifically at customer complaints – including the methods used to contact companies and their best and worst experiences with contact centres.
More than half of those questioned (54 per cent) said they now preferred to use email as a method of contact rather than the telephone (37 per cent) and, if they did phone a company, the biggest factor to negatively impact their experience was queuing (60 per cent).
When asked about specific industries, the consumer’s surveyed rated utilities (27%) and telecoms (26%) as the worst performing, and the most negative traits were seen as being passed from department to department, not being able to understand the agent and being cut off completely. The sector that provided the best experience for solving customer complaints was retail, with consumers voting for the ‘quick solutions’ and ‘good mannered agents’ from some of Britain’s most well know retailers.
“The survey highlights the importance of focusing on key elements of customer service, such as answering complaints quickly and efficiently, whether that is on the telephone or via a social media channel. The fact that more people are turning to email is both a sign of the times and a reflection that consumers across the UK have simply become fed up of hanging on the telephone,” says Dave Paulding, regional sales director UK, Middle East, Interactive Intelligence.
For information about the survey, including the full list of results Click Here
For additional information visit Interactive Intelligence’s Website or view their Company Profile
