October 7, 2014
When it comes to contact centers, a new report indicates that about 60 percent of consumers have reported an improvement in service since 2013. Yet despite these improvements, there are a few areas that still require attention, including concerns and frustrations such as incompetent and inarticulate agents. These figures are based on a survey by CorvisaCloud of more than 1,200 consumers who interact with call centers.
The report examined a number of different trends, including customer satisfaction and industries with excellent and poor customer service. The survey also examined the top strategies contact centers are using to keep customers happy. The report was also conducted in 2013, and there was a 10 percent increase in the frequency with which people contacted customer service.
The most interesting finding for contact centers is that customers still largely prefer to use the phone over any other medium to get in touch. About 55 percent of survey respondents said they preferred using the phone over web forms and chat. “Technology has made it possible for businesses to provide support to more customers, at all times of the day and week, and through a variety of channels. In today’s ‘go-go-go’ world, that makes a big difference and can be especially valuable for smaller businesses with fewer staff resources,” Matt Lautz, president and chief information officer at CorvisaCloud, told eWEEK.
The survey examined a variety of factors, including the time of day, in terms of what customers prefer. Forty-three percent said they call customer service representatives in the afternoon, while 40 percent said they do so in the morning. Wait times remain a major issue when it comes to keeping customers satisfied. The survey found that as many as 32 percent of customers will hang up if they have been waiting longer than five minutes.
