The hits just keep on coming for the customer-care industry.
It turns out that one in three people cites the telephone as their preferred channel for customer service, but almost half find it to be the most frustrating way to get help. That’s the finding of a new survey from Econsultancy, which polled 2,000 consumers in the U.K.
In the survey, the phone was voted three times more frustrating than getting help via email and eight times more frustrating than live chat. And get this: One in eight respondents said they would pay for a better level of customer service over the phone.
So what’s most frustrating about calling customer service? The survey revealed what you might expect anywhere in the world: hold times and automated responses. Some U.K. customers also mentioned premium-rate numbers.
“Customer service is an area where businesses, in a competitive marketplace, can really stand out and differentiate themselves," said Warren Buckley, managing director of Customer Services at BT. “This research shows that while many are still lagging behind, there is a growing number of savvy companies that, instead of viewing customer service as a cost centre, see it as a way for them to excel and increase brand loyalty."
Among industries, retail got the best marks for customer service, while telecom ranked dead last. Just 4 percent of those surveyed said it was tops.
