Phone calls remain the strongest contact centre tool

Phone calls remain strongest Customer service tool in the contact centre research from Salesforce suggests

People still prefer phone calls to emails or online chat platforms for customer service, according to new research released ahead of Customer Service Week.

A survey by Salesforce identified that 61% of consumers still prefer to speak to someone over the phone when they require assistance. In addition, 75% also believe that calling a business will lead to the quickest response time.

Further research by Epsilon suggests that 80% of individuals have a greater willingness to buy from organisations that provide personalised services.

The findings come despite an increase in online chat software replacing traditional phone lines as companies look to replace people with automated systems.

Richard Cotton, Marketing Director from Sheffield contact centre CC33 said: “Many of us are now doing away with the landline phone and the number of phone calls we make each week has dropped significantly with the rise of messaging apps.

“However, in customer service the phone is still king. I’m sure at some stage everyone has become frustrated at how difficult it can be to speak to a human being when trying to deal with some companies.

“This Customer Service Week, our message to businesses is that they should not be discarding phone lines if they want to safeguard their reputation for looking after their customers.”

CC33’s Ecclesall Road office employs over 400 people and offers customer acquisition, management and retention services.

Richard added: “For companies looking to improve their customer service, dealing with someone directly is crucial to make a positive first impression, calm a customer or diffuse a potentially difficult situation.

“Even if you have a phone line customers can call, by not managing it properly you can still risk your reputation, for example by leaving people on hold for too long. Having a team of call handlers available to deal with queries quickly remains important even in this hyper-digital age.”

Source: Contact-Centres