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Breaking News: Consumers Frustrated By Call Centre Queues |
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Written by Adam Gosling
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Wednesday, 07 November 2007 |
In a remarkable first of its kind study into the Australian call centre market it has been revealed that Australian consumers are sometimes frustrated with long waiting
times.
Conducted by research
company callcentres.net and commissioned by Avaya, the study created an Index to capture the views of customers who
have experienced the highs and lows of dealing with contact centres.
The consumer index concluded that 58% of Australian's surveyed said they had a good experience,
but that there is an opportunity for Australian contact centres to improve the
service they offer to consumers, who are sometimes frustrated with long waiting
times, problems with getting the information they want, and being transferred to
other operators.
The survey
found that only 11% of people said they liked interacting with contact centres
when seeking information from a company and 32% said that dealing with contact
centres is always problematic.
There
was a message in the results, however, with the research demonstrating
that Australian consumers are more likely to buy products and services
from companies if their contact centre staff are friendly, quick to
resolve questions, and know the details of the products and services
they were representing.
There is also a growing
preference for other communications channels such as the Internet
and for self-service pathways to serves rather than traditional voice channels. This new direction is strongly driven by
Generation Y consumers (16-30 year olds) who have a higher preference for
interacting with companies using self-service technologies, than the older
Generation X, Baby Boomers or Silent Generations*.
Key findings of the Index indicate that although 56% of the
Australian consumers surveyed would prefer to call and talk with a customer
service representative, almost half (41%) stated their first preference was to
use a self-service channel, constituting 28% of consumers who prefer to use an
internet channel (web, email, webchat); 6% prefer to use IVR (touch tone
automated system), 5% prefer speech recognition and 2% prefer to interact using
SMS. Only 6% of consumers nominated visiting a branch or store as their
preferred method of interaction, thus confirming the growing strategic
importance of contact centres as the primary channel to market.
While 62% of respondents
would prefer to deal with a person, either on the phone or face-to-face, 38%
rate technology over people and prefer to use the internet, email, web chat or
an automated phone system.
"The contact centre is one
of the main communications channels for many companies, and customers'
experiences with front-line staff can have an important impact on the reputation
of the company," said Avaya South Pacific Managing Director, Carlton Taya. "The
contact centre can be a strategic weapon for businesses who are seeking to
maintain and improve customer loyalty.
It's imperative they offer responsive services and positive experiences
as it can have a direct impact on a company's
revenue."
"The coming of age of the Generation Y consumer, and their strong
influence on their moneyed Baby Boomer parents, is something the Australian
contact centre industry is now thinking about," stated Dr Catriona Wallace,
Managing Director of callcentres.net. "There has never been a more tech-savvy
and market-savvy generation. Those companies who are gearing up their channels
to meet the diverse needs of the different generations will gain a competitive
advantage."
Companies need to be more
attuned to the needs of different generations, and should seek to offer a range
of communications methods to meet the demands of all of their customers, said
Taya. Those communications channels can include the Internet, voice recognitions
tools, SMS, and other self-service technologies, but should not overshadow the
importance of well-trained, professional staff.
Taya said it was important
that companies continued to provide the best technology to contact centre
operators to allow them to offer efficient service levels, including having the
right information at their fingertips.
He also said it was
important for companies to train their contact centre operators in the use of
new software tools that make it easier for them to provide relevant information
quickly to their customers. The
Index, conducted in October, was part of an Asia-Pacific survey of
consumers.
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