Newly published research by YouGov suggests that the main concern of most customers when they are dealing with contact centres is speed and data security.
In the survey, 53% said that the most
important aspect of customer service is protecting consumer data. Ease of
contact was seen as very important by customers using the banking sector (67%),
followed by insurance (55%) and utilities (54%).
And nearly two-thirds of respondents
said they would pay more for a company’s product or service if a company deals
with issues and queries quickly and effectively.
The survey also looked at how
age-related differences impact consumer attitudes about customer experience. Not surprisingly, the more traditional customer service methods are still heavily favoured by older respondents, as many of them still struggle with newer methods of interacting with brands.
The Need for Speed
The survey showed that consumers are
willing to pay a premium for speed, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of respondents
(and 69% amongst 18-24 year olds) saying they would pay more if a company deals
with issues and queries quickly.
Speed in customer service was seen as
very important across age ranges. Fast issue resolution was cited by 39% of respondents, fast response by 16%, and high availability of customer service
advisers by 12%.
This compares to other aspects of
customer service where customers are less prepared to pay extra. For example only
44% said they would pay extra for more ‘community involvement’, and 55% for ‘aligned
values’.
Other findings of the survey
With many recent high-profile data
leaks, it is unsurprising that one of the most important aspects of customer
service for companies to prioritise is protecting consumer data, with 53% of respondents
citing this as a factor of importance. In addition, 20% of respondents also said
that ensuring vulnerable people understand the terms and conditions of products
and services they purchase was also an important factor.
The telephone still remains the
preferred method of contact when getting in touch with a company (32%) followed
by email (29%). Webchat (14%) lags behind as does face-to-face (6%) and social
media (1%).
Telephone also remains the most
trusted when receiving information from brands (30%) especially compared to
newer types of contact such as webchat (15%) and social media (8%).
Research Methodology
The YouGov survey was
commissioned by customer experience provider Webhelp. It was conducted using an
online interview with members of the YouGov Plc UK panel of 800,000+ people. The
total sample size was 2,035 adults. The research was undertaken on 5th and 6th
June 2019. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all British
adults aged 18+.
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