Local call centres are key to good customer service

Local call centres are critical to keeping customers happy, according to new research.

The consumer poll conducted by KC (Kingston Communications) found that the majority of customers (54%) were most annoyed by overseas call centre staff when calling customer service lines, over and above the need to navigate automated responses (22%) and the inability of customer support staff to provide answers outside of their script (12%).

The nationwide poll of 2,000 consumers, conducted by YouGov for KC in November, asked respondents to identify what annoyed them most when calling customer service lines.  54% of respondents indicated that they were most annoyed by overseas call centre staff who did not understand their problem.

“While all businesses are under pressure to cut costs, it is important that customers come before profit,” comments Nick Thompson, Director of Consumer Services at KC.  “This research suggests that outsourcing call centres to companies overseas may be a step too far.”

KC’s customer service centres are not only based solely in the UK but also locally to its customers in Hull and the East Riding area of Yorkshire.  KC also provides free local calls within its call packages – so it is free to call Customer Service and Technical Support.

KC’s research also revealed that nearly a third of respondents (32%) rarely or never have their problems resolved on their first call – which may be a result of foreign call centre workers lacking the necessary understanding to help deal with customer issues, whereas 75% of KC customers have their problems resolved by technical and support staff on the first call.