Companies failing to join the dots

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69% of companies are unable to offer joined-up customer service.

According to research carried out by the Customer Contact Association (CCA), 69% of CCA member organisations admitted to being unable to do this, operating a more siloed approach to customer communication.

These findings were echoed by senior contact centre professionals who took part in panel sessions discussing the future of customer service, the challenges for the future, and smart areas for investment. The conclusion from these sessions was that having a single customer view is now essential if organisations want to ‘stay in the game’, but this customer expectation is not currently being fully met by any industry sector.

Anne Marie Forsyth

“The research shows a worrying disconnect between the service expectations of customers and the ability of organisations to live up to those expectations,” said Anne Marie Forsyth, Chief Executive of the Customer Contact Association. “We know that consumers want efficiency, speed and value for money but unless businesses urgently adopt an integrated omni-channel service strategy, they will struggle to deliver on service promises and risk compromising brand values. This research is a wake-up call to service providers across every sector – change your approach or risk losing your customers.”

The variety of communication channels available to consumers today was strongly underlined in the report, highlighting the challenge of providing a unified single customer view, with customers preferring different specific channels depending on their needs. More than a third of respondents preferred purchasing products or services through an organisation’s website, while 30% cited contact via telephone as their preferred method for customer service enquiries.

When it came to making complaints, 26% preferred telephone contact while 23% opted for email, and almost one in ten still chose to post letters. This was even seen in the youngest age bracket surveyed (16–24-year-olds), where 8% would choose to write a letter of complaint ahead of making a phone call, sending an email, texting, or visiting a website.

Author: Megan Jones

Published On: 8th Jan 2014 - Last modified: 12th Dec 2018
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