When it comes to customer service, 39% of us believe that the telephone is the best ‘channel’ for businesses to communicate with us.
However, 48% of us say that it is the most frustrating channel – 3 x more frustrating than email and 8x more frustrating than live web chat.
That’s according to a new survey by Toluna who talked to over 2000 UK consumers.
Our 3 key frustrations? No real surprises here:
- Call Queues! – Automated telephony and menus! – Premium phone numbers!
The report also highlighted that retailers came out ‘tops’ with banks, travel agents and telecoms companies a long way behind.
Email is the preferred ‘contact channel’ for 44% of us as customers , but again, only 33% feel it’s used effectively by businesses. In other words, new technologies can help, but as our expectations rise there’s clearly a long way to go.
It’s not all ‘doom and gloom’ – an interesting bit of the research highlights the opportunity that all this creates. Apparently one in eight of us would pay a fee for a VIP level of service and that rises to one in four customers if they earn between £40k and £70k!!!! Clearly, some people will happily pay for a ‘premium customer experience’.
It’s all about being ‘easy to do business with’. What are you like at dealing with customers on the phone, by email? Come to think of it – what are you like at dealing with customers ‘full stop’?
