In a multichannel world, the telephone is no longer the default choice of consumers. However, it is still vital, particularly for more involved conversations. Yet new research from consumer group Which? shows that telephone customer service is failing to keep pace with customer needs.
Like many industries, insurance is being disrupted by digital technology. Nearly 80% of consumers want to use digital channels such as the web, email, social media and chat to interact with insurers – yet under a quarter of businesses say they are fully digital, according to Accenture. Traditional insurers face major challenges...
Imagine having a conversation in a pitch black room. You can’t see the person you are talking to and their tone of voice shows no emotion at all. You can’t tell if they are happy, angry or sad, or even why they are talking to you. You might as well be talking to a robot. Building empathy – or even understanding them clearly – is almost impossible.Sound far-fetched? For most...
Email has been a mainstay of customer service since its inception, providing a digital alternative to the telephone for consumers. Despite the growth of other digital channels, such as social media and chat, it continues to thrive – 69% of people still want to contact companies through email, according to Forrester. In some sectors (such as retail), ...
Telecoms has always been important at Christmas, with families and friends keeping in touch by telephone for many years. However, the rise of superfast broadband, social media, IP telephony and on-demand/pay-TV services mean that it is now an essential part of the Christmas experience for the majority of families. Whether it is watching sport on satellite TV, downloading the latest music...
Earlier in the year I moved house and needed to change the existing energy supplier for the property. By the time all the paperwork was completed, I owed the old utility for a week’s energy. The bill arrived, and when I opened it I had a real shock. It was enormous – the company wanted to charge me $73,295.44 for just 7 days service! Clearly, there was some mistake...
Between different countries and demographic groups there is an enormous variation in which channels consumers prefer to use to contact organizations, particularly for customer service. In this multichannel world, companies need to offer all relevant channels, but also have to understand which best fits their requirements of their key demographic groups, so they ensure they deliver superior service...
In an ever more competitive business world, the customer experience that companies offer can be a key differentiator in winning and retaining consumer loyalty. But how can you quantify this in financial terms?
Despite the rise of digital channels and the growth of multichannel customer service, the telephone remains vital for businesses and consumers. In fact, while customers are certainly increasing their use of online self-service resources, web chat and social, research from Forrester indicates that 73% still use the phone for customer service. However, one of the biggest issues...
Communications technology is now central to everyone’s lives. Whereas twenty years ago most people just had a fixed telephone line, today consumers rely on a combination of mobile phones, broadband, and wireless data, to communicate with the world, work remotely and stay in touch with loved ones. As the importance of telecoms has grown, so has the significance of the customer service...