Omar Zaibak

Despite the telephone being the most popular channel for support, it also has the reputation for being the most frustrating method.

Repeating information to agents, waiting on hold, and navigating phone menus are the main reasons customers dread the call center. Negative caller experiences drive customers to the competition, and to share these experiences with the world through social media, eroding the reputations of countless companies.

Customers Prefer Phone Conversations

A recent Forrester Consulting titled “North America 2011 Consumer Preference Report – Contact Centers” finds that the overwhelming majority of consumers (81%) prefer phone support, far ahead of email (33%), the next most popular channel.

The study also found that a “phone conversation” was the most often used method in the prior 3 months, with 44% of those surveyed, compared to just 15% for email.

Why is the phone so popular? Customers want to “interact with a real person...

Driven by rapid changes in technology, social media, and consumer behavior, customer service expectations continue to increase and only the best businesses are keeping up. Superior customer service experience generates return customers, loyalty, and ultimately, higher profits.

To help with this challenge, I’ve compiled a list of 5 important customer service statistics that cover interaction channel preferences, customer expectations, consumer attitudes towards the current state of support, and contact center priorities to guide your strategy moving forward.

What Consumers Think About The State of Customer Service

Only 26% of consumers responded positively when asked if they believe customer service centers provide great support, compared to 49% who did not. This clearly shows how the industry is missing the mark in...

With double-digit growth forecasted in many emerging markets such as China, India, Russia, and Brazil, the contact center market continues to evolve. Vendors are increasingly offering contact center software in addition to more traditional hardware-centric offerings.

Cisco, Avaya, and Alcatel-Lucent continue to dominate with over 70% of market share in the global market. However, other vendors are growing revenue by targeting emerging markets, niche applications or specific verticals (ie: service providers). They are also competing on technology, especially when it comes to cloud-based offerings.

Let’s take a look and see which vendors are giving ‘the big three’ a run for their money.

1. Altitude

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The telephone is the most popular method for customer support. According to Forrester Research, 69% of US consumers still use the phone for customer service.

In an era of instant gratification, service expectations are much higher which makes customers tougher to please. Megan Burns of Forrester Research states, “They’re accustomed to more options, greater control, and a worldwide platform to tell others what they think about the way brands treat them.” Not surprisingly, only 37% of brands were rated good or excellent in The Customer Experience Index 2012.

Calling any contact center is a customer nightmare, so let’s examine...