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THE EVERY CALL COUNTS REPORT: A STUDY INTO
CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF BUSINESS CALL HANDLING
Study produced by alldayPA
www.alldaypa.com
Welcome to the alldayPA Call Handling
Survey 2015
With more ways for consumers to communicate with
businesses available than ever before, is there still a
role for the phone? That’s the question we put to UK
consumers*. The answer was a resounding ‘yes’.
As the research shows, there are times when automated or impersonal
service simply isn’t enough and that’s when consumers turn to the
phone. And, when they do pick up the phone, they have very distinct
ideas as to the factors that constitute a ‘satisfactory’ call experience –
so delivering a courteous, informative and effective call answering
service is vital.
I hope you’ll find the research findings interesting and useful.
David Joseph
Board Executive, alldayPA
*1,000 consumers were polled.
Why Do Consumers Call?
With so many options for fast making and easy contact
with businesses now available, why do consumers still
choose to pick up the phone?
The findings from this research suggest consumers are more likely to
pick up the phone when they’re unhappy, having problems or looking
for detailed information and advice.
Consumers turn to the phone in situations where talking to another
person seems to be the quickest and most effective way to secure
detailed information, resolve a complex problem or simply let off steam
– calling to complain or with a more general desire to “resolve an issue”
was cited by 70 per cent of respondents as the most likely reason to
prefer picking up the phone.
Why Do Consumers Call?
Even more crucially, the phone is also key for sales conversions, as it
comes into play in the lead up to a purchase when consumers are
looking for more specific or detailed information - over half would call
for more information in advance of a purchase, or for after-sales service
and support.
With such a significant number of consumers
expecting to have issues resolved over the phone,
having capable staff who are equipped to resolve
them in an efficient manner is key.
Under what circumstances do you prefer to phone a business as a customer (rather than
email or use the company’s website, for example)? (Please tick all that apply)
When shopping around for a product or service 41%
To get a specific or more detailed information ahead of making a
purchase of a product or service
53%
To make a purchase 35%
For aftersales support (e.g. to check delivery dates) 59%
To make a complaint or resolve an issue 70%
Other (please specify) 100%
I never want to phone a company that I’m buying a product or service
from
28%
What Do Consumers Expect From A Call?
Customers call because they want to be heard. In the
majority of customer service situations, a phone call is
about as up-close-and-personal as customer as they
are going to get any business. Choosing the phone is afairy strong indication that the consumer wants to interact with another
person – and as result, nothing outweighs the importance of having
access to a ‘human voice’ for the majority of respondents.
Everything that is – or indeed is not – handled well over the phone
helps to shape the consumers’ perceptions of the company, and
therefore it is important that businesses do not rely on automated
answering services, which are for the most part inflexible.
What Do Consumers Expect From A Call?
Thankfully, the research findings indicate there is
generally a realistic level of expectation as to what the
businesses can and can't solve over the phone. 58 per
cent of consumers consider it ‘important’ that the call handler is able to answer very basic queries, for example, store
locations and opening hours – to the point where it might affect their
decisions to use the company.
But, at 38 per cent, only a minority expect to be able to get specific and
detailed information for their problem or query in a single call. A similar
proportion (33 per cent) believe it’s realistic to expect to have the ‘exact
person’ – i.e. the same call handler - every time they phoned. Calls
being answered speedily (within 3 rings) and not being put in a queue
are essential attributes of a satisfactory call for just under half (49 per
cent) the sample.
That the call is answered quickly (within 3 rings) and I’m not put in a
queue
49%
That the person answering the call can answer basic questions e.g.
opening hours, location, prices, etc.
58%
That I can get a human voice and not a voicemail or an automated
menu
71%
That I can speak to the exact person I’m calling for (rather than have
them call me back promptly)
33%
I can always get detailed information about my query (rather than have
them call me back promptly with specific details)
38%
That when I call to complain about a product / service, it is answered
quickly (within 3 rings) and I’m not put in queue
43%
Other (please specify) 100%
How my call is dealt with isn’t important to me 10%
What do you consider to be important about how a company deals with you over the
phone i.e. it might affect your decision to use that company? (Please tick all that apply)
Who Do Consumers Call?
The findings suggest that consumers are more likely to
call a company when they need a skilled professional to
interpret complex information and offer informed
advice.
The message for companies in professional and financial services, and
to a slightly lesser degree, the travel and tourism sectors, is that there’s
no hiding behind a wall of automated communication services.
Customers of these types of businesses need - and want - to talk.
The majority of participants (71 per cent) indicated they’d use the
phone to communicate with professional services – e.g. solicitors and
accountants. As would 62 per cent of consumers for liaison with
financial services providers, such as banks and insurance companies.
Who Do Consumers Call?
Despite the increasing trend to find and book holidays,
travel and hotels online, the research indicates that the
phone is holding its own with 61 per cent saying they’d
use the phone to contact companies in this sector.
Healthcare, retail and trades businesses – e.g. plumbers and builders –
can expect to receive calls from just over half of consumers.
Leisure businesses, including restaurants and health clubs, netted the
fewest votes which suggests consumers are happy to source
information or make bookings online.
For which types of company do you consider effective customer service over the phone
important, i.e. if they didn’t have it you mightn't use or continue to use them? (Please tick all
that apply)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Professional services
Healthcare
Retail
Trades
Leisure
Holiday or travel
Financial
Local authority services
e.g. solicitor, accountant
e.g. pharmacist, dentist
e.g. high street, online shop
e.g. plumber, builder
e.g. restaurant, health club
e.g. travel agent or hotel
e.g. banking, insurance
e.g. council tax, housing
What Aspects Of Calls Are Most Important To
Consumers?
A company’s approach to dealing with telephone calls
can fail to meet consumers’ expectations in many
different ways, some of which can have more of a
detrimental impact, and push consumers further to the
limits of patience, than others.
The findings suggest consumers are willing to forgive calls going
unanswered outside normal office hours. They also are unlikely to be
annoyed by the phone not being picked up immediately - however
anything more than 10 rings is unacceptable for 52 per cent of
respondents. A similar proportion find automated menus and calls going
through to voicemail irritating.
What Aspects Of Calls Are Most Important To
Consumers?
Having a human voice on the end of the phone is a
good starting point – but is not enough to guarantee a
satisfied caller – a lack of social skills, such as not
being ‘polite’ or ‘helpful’, are received badly by 68 per cent of consumers. In contrast, only 30 per cent said they’d be
annoyed by obvious signs of a call handler being ‘busy’ or ‘not able to
talk’.
What aspects of poor call answering annoy you the most (i.e. enough to make you
eventually stop using the company)? (Please tick all that apply)
When phones are not answered quickly (within 3 rings) 22%
When phones are not answered within a reasonable amount of time
(within 10 rings)
52%
When phones are not answered out of normal office hours 15%
When calls always go through to voicemail rather than a person 54%
When calls are always answered with an automated menu 55%
When the person answering is clearly busy or unable to talk 30%
When the person answering is not helpful or polite 68%
What Do Satisfactory Phone Calls Tell
Consumers About Business?
Consumers are uncompromising in their willingness to
make sweeping assumptions about a company on the
evidence of phone calls. For 75 per cent of consumers,
well-handled phone calls are all they need to judge a company’s ability to deliver ‘good customer service’.
Similarly, a well-handled call would prompt almost the same number of
respondents to assume the company’s staff were ‘capable’ and knew
‘how to do their jobs’. Just over half (60 per cent) said they would be
likely to assume they would be treated ‘fairly’ by the company, and 58
per cent would assume the company’s staff ‘care about doing a good
job’.
What Do Satisfactory Phone Calls Tell
Consumers About Business?
For the majority of consumers, a phone call provides an
insight into the company and its people.
However, the findings suggest that consumers don’t
tend to evaluate the company’s performance as a
business, or the quality of its products, based on their call experience –
most would be unlikely to judge a company’s success from even a
positive experience on the phone and only 27 per cent indicated that
this would influence their view of whether the company’s products or
services are better than those of other providers.
When calls are answered effectively what assumptions are you likely to make about
that company? (Please tick all that apply)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
That it is well run and managed
That staff are capable and know how to do theirjobs
That they offer good customer service
That they care about doing a good job
That the products or services they offer are likelyto be better than other providers
That they will treat me fairly
That they are a successful business
to be better than other providers
jobs
What Do Unsatisfactory Phone Calls Tell
Consumers About Business?
Ineffective call answering can have a drastic impact on
consumer perception of a business – badly handled
calls indicate to 73 per cent of consumers that
customer service is ‘likely to be poor’, over half werealso likely to assume the company’s staff were not very good at their
jobs, while 71 per cent are ready to assume that ineffective call
handlers are a sign of a badly run or managed company.
Almost half (42 per cent) would mentally punish a business by
assuming that its products aren’t up the same standard as those
available elsewhere as a result of poorly handled calls – compared
with 27 per cent who are likely to assume from positive phone
conversations that the products or services they offer are likely to be
better than other providers.
When calls are answered badly what assumptions are you likely to make about that
company? (Please tick all that apply)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
That it is poorly run and managed
That staff are not very good at their jobs
That customer service is likely to be poor
That staff don't care about the quality of their
That the products or services on offer are likely
That you won't be treated fairly by that business
That the business is unsuccessful
to be of a poorer quality than those available
work
Conclusions
The Importance Of Call Handling In Customer Service
Consumers judge the success of a call based on a
complex combination of requirements. But, in the end,
mishandled phone calls are all it takes to damage a company’s
reputation in the eyes of the customer – with consumers ready to make
negative assumptions about the quality of a business’ products or
services as a result.
Professional And Legal Businesses In Particular Can’t Hide Behind A
Wall Of Automation
The survey makes it clear that there are occasions when
communication at one step removed via a website, email or social
media simply is not good enough.
Conclusions
When consumers need advice, information, to talk
through complex issues or to complain, they turn to the
phone for personal and direct interaction with a
representative.
In particular, consumers expect to not just be able to reach professional
services (e.g. lawyers and accountants) and financial services
businesses (e.g. banks, insurance companies) over the phone, but also
receive effective customer service when they do.
Conclusions
It Takes People To Make a Successful Phone Call
Successful
For consumers, a phone call is a personal experience
in which they’ve made an emotional investment.
Consumers choose to phone because they want totalk to a person and are, in effect, looking for a conversation with the
company in the guise of the person on the other end of the phone, who
is able to respond to their queries and provide the information they
need. And therefore, automated voicemails or menus are generally not
good or flexible enough to meet consumers’ needs.
Call handlers must be in place to both engage with the consumer and
at the same time provide a polite and helpful service.
Conclusions
Customers Expect Complaints To Be Handled Over The
Phone
This research clearly shows an overwhelming majority
of consumers consider the phone to be their preferred
method of communication when calling to make a complaint or resolve
an issue. As such, having capable staff who are equipped to resolve
them in an efficient, helpful and polite manner is vital.
Similarly, in these circumstances, consumers consider their call being
answered quickly (within 3 rings) and not being put in a queue
especially important – so speed is key.
