• by Ray Schultz , September 28, 2022

American consumers are so fed up with the support they get from companies that many would rather do very unpleasant things than make a customer service call, according to a study from Twilio Flex, conducted by OnePoll.  

For instance, they prefer to: 

• Do their taxes — 30%
• Go to the dentist — 28% 
• Go to the DMV — 25%
• Shave their head — 24% 
• Spend a night in jail — 22%

Of the consumers polled, 62% have stopped using a firm because of a bad support experience. But 80% are likely to remain loyal to a company that has provided a positive outcome. 

However, bad experiences predominate. On average, customers have to make three attempts and spend an hour and a half on hold to deal with one issue with customer support. 

Regardless of the issue, they spend 42 minutes on hold each time they call customer services. 

And they claim a success rate of only 46%. 

Moreover,  65% say it “doesn’t feel worth it” to get an issue resolved. 

Being transferred or disconnected is the most frustrating incident for 45%, closely followed by calling multiple times (42%) and having only one communication option (email, phone, etc.) to reach customer support (40%). 

The major reason for these problems?

“A major root cause of bad customer service is enabling technology that isn’t built to meet today’s customer expectations,” says Simonetta Turek, general manager of customer experience products, including Flex, Twilio’s contact center tool. “Representatives aren’t equipped to deliver seamless and contextual experiences when they’re using outdated technology not designed foremost with the customer experience and customer journey in mind.”

What do consumers want? 

For 52%, the answer is being able to solve an issue without speaking to a live person. And 51% want multiple ways to contact support over an issue. 

“Customers expect a different experience from businesses — one that is personalized from the very first interaction, from the point of sale all the way to when they reach out for assistance,” Turek adds 

OnePoll surveyed 2,000 Americans who have dealt with customer service.