Unforgiven - UK frowns on poor customer service
More than a third of people (38%) in the UK say their experience with customer service has worsened over the last year, making it the highest figure in the US and Europe.
The Customer Service Index 2021 produced by cloud contact software firm Five9 also found that nearly half of UK respondents (44%) are very unlikely to be willing to do business after poor customer experience - making it the least forgiving country.
And almost two-fifths (39%) of UK consumers have left a brand they were previously loyal to over the last 12 months, with the biggest losers being retail and consumer products (28%) followed by banking and financial services (15%).
Five9's Customer Service Index looks at what consumers believe makes good or bad customer service. Other interesting points from the research include:
- Phone is still king: More than half (51%) of total consumers (US and Europe) still prefer the phone as the best means of communicating with customer services. Yet compared with other countries, the UK is most likely to use webchat (20%)
- When asked the preferred channel for urgent/sensitive issues, the UK number for using the telephone increased to 68%
- Over a quarter (26%) of UK consumers are more willing to use social media platforms for customer service than they were a year ago
- Virtual agents: Two-fifths (40%) of UK consumers are already using virtual agents where available
- The UK is still not ready for video: Over two-fifths (42%) of consumers would prefer not to use a video call with a customer service agent.
Brian Atkinson, EMEA Vice President and General Manager at Five9, says: “Most businesses have faced unprecedented uncertainty over the last 12 months and simply cannot afford to lose customers. It's therefore essential to get customer service right - especially for UK consumers. To do this it is ultimately about human connection, which is the underlying theme across the survey results.”
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