Call centres risk losing customers as complaints go unrecognised, says survey

Online poll reinforces increase in customer churn as result of poor experience

08 February 2010 – A recent survey from speech search specialist Aurix has highlighted that 70 per cent of complaints made to call centres are ‘not being heard.’  In addition over 96 per cent of respondents said that  they would consider switching to a competitor as a result.

In a series of questions, answered by more than 100 consumers, the Aurix survey asked respondents whether they had ever made a complaint to a call centre, and if so, whether that complaint was taken seriously by the agent.

Peter Rogers, CEO at Aurix explains, “Call centre agents are more often than not the first point of contact for complaints, so it’s essential that they are dealt with quickly and efficiently.  During these conversations customers form opinions on which they will base future decisions. Our snap shot survey reinforces the message that customers are significantly more likely to ‘churn’ to a competitor based on a poor experience.”

“In my opinion, it is these interactions which should be viewed as an opportunity to gain feedback and intelligence, as well as to deal with the customer’s query – take the chance to reinforce positive messages about your brand, not cause it any further damage.”

“Technologies such as speech analytics provide a basis for identifying complaints and situations which could escalate. It is by acting quickly to remedy these complaints – improving processes and training for agents - that call centres can convert unhappy customers into advocates – protecting and in some cases promoting your brand”