After the completion of a sale or service, many customers feel that companies and organisations are letting them down. Some customers see the contact centre as more like an obstacle than a helpline, almost scared to get the extra help they need..
Increasingly, customers prefer to seek help for themselves before they pick up the phone or send an email for help. Our research found that online videos, chat forums, friends and family are all preferred mediums for six-in-ten (60.9%) when it comes to seeking help. Getting in touch with a contact centre is a call of last resort.
In fact, over a quarter (26%) of 18- to 34-year-olds say they feel frustrated enough with the contact centre experience that they want to swear at agents. Callers reach boiling point when they are left hanging on for what seems like forever, they are passed from operator to operator, an agent fails to resolve their issue, or they ask for endless details.
It should not have to be this way, but many companies are failing to get the basics right because they do not understand their customer or the main issues they face. Failing to identify the main cause of customer interactions leads to a predictable disappointment to perform within Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Contact centres have a lamentable record at meeting demand, with an average waiting time of 22.4 minutes just to answer a call. The frustrations customers show are therefore no surprise. To find out more about what these are and how important it is to know your customer click here.
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