Commitment to improving customer service levels is more important to subscribers than product incentives, according to an independent survey of customer service requirements of over 4,000 European telecoms subscribers.
The online survey was undertaken by YouGov Plc and commissioned by eGain Communications.
In contrast to previous industry research on the sector, customer service experiences of telecom providers were rated very positively overall, with less than 5% of respondents citing their most recent experience as poor. The research also found 'talking to a human being' (18.9%) as only the fifth most important customer service priority, with online customer service such as chat and web self-service receiving a higher degree of preference.
The key finding of the survey was that customer loyalty can be better won through commitment to service levels than through special offers or incentives on products. Respondents stated that commitment to faster (53.7%), more consistent and personal (38.1%), and multichannel (41.2%) customer service would make the most difference to them. Only 24% placed 'more special offers' among their top three preferences across Europe (only 14% in Germany).
In addition, providing access to customer service through 'any conceivable communication method' such as online self-service, telephone, chat, email and SMS was more important to French (47.3%) and German (44.4%) respondents than British (35.5%).
When asked 'What do you feel is most important to your own customer experience when dealing with your telecoms service providers?,' only one in five subscribers listed 'access to a contact centre agent' in their top two preferences. Getting a knowledgeable response to a query was most important to respondents, with 41.6% citing this requirement in their top two preferences.
Consumers are more optimistic (22%) than pessimistic (9.5%) about the development of their telecoms customer service levels over the next 12 months. Only 2.75% of respondents thought that service levels would worsen significantly over the next 12 months. French (36%) and German (25%) customers were the most optimistic about the prospect of future service improvement. UK respondents were less optimistic with only 13% anticipating that service levels will improve in the next 12 months, and over two-thirds (68%) of them expecting to see 'business as usual.'
The survey suggests consumer preferences for online customer service vary according to situation.
Customers are happiest to serve themselves for upgrades (with 34.4% placing web self-service as their preferred contact method), yet want some level of interaction for problem resolution (with 27.7% and18.8% of respondents citing email and web chat respectively, as their preferred contact methods). While 18.8% (23% in the UK) chose web chat as their preferred channel of communication for problem resolution, less than half this number (8.26%) would choose it when looking to upgrade.
French consumers expressed the highest overall preference for eService channels. For example, 81% of French respondents expressed preferences for eService channels for problem resolution, compared to 77% in the UK and 63% in Germany.
"These positive results confirm the acceleration in telecoms customer service innovation and investment over the past two years. However, many telcos still have some way to go in successfully meeting the fast-paced change of consumer demand," commented Andrew Mennie, General Manager, eGain EMEA.
"The telecoms sector is highly competitive," continued Mennie. "With handsets and price plans becoming less meaningful as market differentiators, the ability to deliver accurate and rapid multichannel customer service has clearly made itself a key factor in retaining customers and increasing Average Margin Per User (AMPU). Telcos should take note of consumer migration to online customer service that is already well underway. As subscribers increasingly communicate more through electronic channels, providing top-notch eService and integrating it seamlessly with the phone is critical for success."
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