How happy are consumers with call centre service?

Guest blog post by Mark King, senior VP, Europe and Africa, Aspect 

Think back to your last conversation or email exchange with a contact centre agent. Did it resolve your query, leaving you feeling positive? Or did it fail to help, leaving you feeling frustrated? The Aspect Customer Service Trends 2011 survey set out to explore what European consumers really think about contact centres and its findings may surprise readers.

Of the survey’s 1,345 European participants, 70 per cent were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the service they received - a figure that rose to 76 per cent among the 278 UK respondents. These figures compare favourably with those recorded in the 2007 Aspect Customer Satisfaction Index survey when, asked the same question, just 53 per cent of European consumers and 55 per cent of UK consumers stated that they were 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied'.

65 per cent of European consumers said their inquiries were typically resolved on the first or second contact - and the ability to resolve queries rapidly was found to be a major influence on satisfaction, according to respondents to the 2011 survey. 70 per cent of those who were “very satisfied” or “satisfied” said their problems were usually resolved on first or second contact; and 40 per cent of those who were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” stated that their queries were not.

Communication preferences are changing rapidly according to the survey. 35 per cent of respondents used email for their last service inquiry, while 36 per cent phoned. A further eight per cent posted their last query, seven per cent used web self-service, and five per cent turned to social networks. Overall, 56 per cent of respondents used 'new media' channels (i.e. email, SMS, web self-service, social networks, smartphone apps, web chat, blogs and forums) for their last service query compared to 44 per cent who used 'traditional' channels (i.e. post and telephone).

When asked to state their 'requirements for good customer service', 73 per cent of respondents pointed to the 'secure handling of personal data', 69 per cent to a 'prompt response', 65 per cent to 'the friendliness of the service representative' and 35 per cent to 'being able to make customer service enquiries via smartphone apps, Twitter, web chat etc.'. However, there were some notable exceptions. In Germany, for example, the percentage of people stating that a 'prompt response' was a requirement rose to 91 per cent, while the availability of 'smartphone, Twitter, web chat etc. options' was a requirement for a significant 41 per cent of UK consumers.

For a free copy of the Aspect Customer Service Trends 2011 Executive Summary, visit: http://www.customerservicetrends.com/UKPR