Go BackUK: Less than one in 12 of us feel valued as customers, new research reveals
6th November 2009 - At a time when companies should be working harder to make their customers happy and persuade them to continue spending their hard-earned cash, many seem to be getting it very wrong, according to new research published by Jacada, a leading provider of unified desktop and process optimisation solutions for customer service operations.
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This latest research, commissioned by Jacada and conducted by YouGov, has revealed that only one in 12 of those questioned "feel valued" by the companies they are doing business with, after dealing with their call centre.
So, what's going wrong? Are businesses taking their customers for granted? Crossing their fingers and hoping that they'll survive until the upturn kicks in, rather than investing in looking after their most valuable asset - their customers - right now?
When companies should be investing in ensuring a positive beginning-to-end experience for their customers with their organisations, it was astonishing to find out that the majority of those questioned (76%) have contacted customer service because of problems that could be perceived by consumers to have been avoidable if the company had taken more care with their products and services (ie billing errors, technical issues, and problems with deliveries or missed service calls).
When consumers attempt to deal with issues, the negative perception of their service/product providers' attitude towards them is reinforced, with many of those questioned reporting giving up without having their problems solved - 63% when using online facilities and 48% after phone contact. And over a third of those questioned had to re-contact customer services to get their issues dealt with completely when they do persevere.
No wonder over a 1/4 of those questioned for the survey have actually postponed making contact with a supplier to address a problem, presumably because they couldn't face dealing with the hassles and delays associated with the call centre. And that 34% of those questioned reported that they now expect to get poor service when they finally get do get through to a customer service agent.
Another area where the Jacada research shows that companies are getting it wrong and ignoring their customers' preferences is the push towards web-based self-service (many companies even going so far as making it next to impossible to find a number to call for one-to-one human contact). The results from the Jacada survey show that most (67%) consumers still want to speak to a real person when they are trying to deal with serious or urgent issues..
Getting back to the original question: are UK businesses taking their customers for granted? The results outlined in the Jacada research seem to suggest that many customers certainly feel that way. "Even more worrying", comments Guy Tweedale, SVP of European Operations at Jacada, "is that things seem to be getting worse, not better. According to our research, 39% of the people surveyed reported feeling that customer service has actually deteriorated since the recession took hold. We are hoping that these shocking results will act as a wake-up call for British businesses, as companies simply cannot afford to alienate their customers in this way."
Notes to Editors: Full results and the report available from andrewb@chazb.com.
About the Jacada/YouGov Survey
The survey, commissioned by Jacada was undertaken by YouGov over the summer of 2009 and was conducted using an online interview administered to members of the YouGov Plc's UK panel of 185,000+ individuals who have agreed to take part in surveys. The total sample size was 2,138 adults, and the figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
About Jacada
Jacada is a leading global provider of unified service desktop and process optimization solutions that simplify and automate customer service processes. By bridging disconnected systems into a single, intelligent workspace, Jacada solutions create greater operational efficiency and increase agent and customer satisfaction. Founded in 1990, Jacada operates globally with offices in Atlanta, Georgia; London, England; Munich, Germany; and Herzliya, Israel.
For more information on Jacada please visit www.jacada.com.
Jacada Contact:
Michelle Norris
Marketing Manager
+44 20 3178 4803
OR:
Jacada Media Contact
Andrew Ball
Chaz Brooks Communications
+44 (0) 1483 537 890
Date - 06/11/2009
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