Long call centre waits 'risk driving customers away'

An increasing number of people phoning call centres are hanging up in frustration because of the time it takes to answer, a new British report revealed today.

More customers than ever are calling contact centres, but more than one in 10 hang up before they can speak to someone.

The number of abandoned calls has risen for the sixth year in a row, especially involving calls to telecoms firms.

Computer firm Dimension Data, which conducted the research, warned firms in the UK that their “fixation” on cutting costs through reducing jobs should not be done at the expense of customer satisfaction.

An increasing number of British firms have switched call-centre work abroad in recent years to save money, which has led to warnings about the quality of services.

Customers expect calls to be answered quickly and are only willing to wait 65 seconds compared with 71 seconds in 2003, according to today’s report.

“The problem may be getting worse because of the increase in calls to contact centres globally,” said the report.

Cara Diemont, of Dimension Data, said: “The boardroom’s focus on cost reduction is reflected in a number of call centre trends, which include offshoring and deployment of self-service technology.

“However, businesses must be careful that their fixation on reducing cost through headcount reduction and automation is not done at the expense of customer satisfaction, or else they risk them moving over to a competitor.

“Customers get more demanding all the time. We all want the phone answered quickly and our inquiries handled efficiently and effectively. But shareholders are also demanding and want to see a consistent return on their investment.

“The contact centre is now the main interface between a business and its customers, but our research finds that performance continues to suffer at the expense of cost-cutting and failure to exploit the benefits of integrated technology.”