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The recession, it turns out, is good for customer service. Consumers believe that they are getting better service than they used to from customer-support centers. But it turns out that outsourced call centers may be costing companies more than they think, and the third annual study of customer satisfaction with contact centers reports that customers "are nearly twice as likely to recommend the company to others if they think the contact center is in the U.S., while they are three times more likely to defect if they believe it is based offshore," reports the Contact Center Satisfaction Index. (The index is created by CFI Group, which uses the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index.)
Overall, satisfaction gained 3% -- reaching 74 on a 100-point scale --in a survey that includes 2,200 participants commenting on call-in center services from banks, cable and satellite TV, cell phone service, credit unions, hotels, insurance, personal computers, retail and government.
Miraculously, it's the troubled banking sector that scored the biggest gain, with satisfaction scores jumping 11% to 79. Cable and satellite TV gained 8%, while insurance companies gained 5% to 79. Hotels and personal computers were more or less flat, while cell phone companies, retail and government all declined. But even with those declines, the survey found that the performance of service reps improved in all the areas it measures, including courteousness, knowledge, and effectiveness in handling issues.
One reason for the big gain, the company notes in its analysis, is a much bigger talent pool. "Unemployment is still pretty high, and call centers may be benefiting from more qualified job applicants," it says. The weak economy is also lowering call-center turnover.
But the difference between U.S.-based reps and offshore personnel was distinct. Domestic reps were rated 84 out of 100, while offshore reps were rated just 62. And respondents say that call centers in the U.S. resolved their problems on the first call 68% of the time, versus 42% for offshore.
Consumers are also clear about how much they hate the interactive voice recognition systems used by so many companies, and much prefer reaching a warm body. Customers who have to go the dreaded "Representative. Representative! Rep-RE-SENTATIVE!" drill are much less satisfied than those who reached a real person (69 vs. 79).
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Before call centers in the late 1970s, I tried to do a phone order to a major camera/photographic supply business in Brooklyn, New York. The person who answered the phone and I simply spoke two different languages even though we both thought we were speaking English.
The reasons are simple and from the best university possible; i.e., "The School of Hard Knocks":
1. Off shore is very frustrating for the callers who are typically not in the best humor to begin with due to the reason they are often calling. The off shore agents mean well typically but they are too hard for most of us to understand. Let's face it. call centers went off shore to save money not to improve service. Often they think they have to do it to remain competative.
2. Some people prefer an IVR and thus if they want to use it, why not? This assumes there is an "easy" out to a live agent.
3. B&M because when one thinks about it, the Home Agent model implemented has a serious flaw which is important to recognize. These agents are almost always compensated only for their "talk time". If clients would listen to their calls they would be shocked to hear the chitchat that a Home Agent often does with the caller as the meter clicks away.
Hiring the Wrong Call Center Agent is the Root Cause of most Call Center Performance and Customer Satisfaction Issues. It’s a Significant Drain on the Budget & Bottom Line, on Customer Satisfaction Ratings and Sales Results. Every Failed Hire represents Wasted Dollars Down the Drain. Not to mention the Lowered Productivity, Poor Morale & Higher Absences associated with a Poor Job Fit.
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Add to this the problem of representatives who have "slow computers" or machines that have "just" crashed--and they pass the customer to another representative, and so on, and so on, and so on. Time is wasted repeating issues and frustrations mount. Companies need to understand customer service representatives are the front line for protecting revenue and the brand experience.
A modicum of training along with a "can do" attitude are imperatives for each customer service representative. Without it, customers leave in droves. With it, customers will be happy and tell others.
As it is I always press 0 as soon as I get a chance. Although that still doesn't guarantee that the live person you'll be connected with is competent but at least it's not a computer.