Survey: Smartphone customer support not ideal

2010-02-09 - While smartphones are becoming increasingly complex, the majority of customer support calls pertain to basic issues that can be resolved remotely, requiring little or no technical support. This is the result of a survey conducted on behalf of Amdocs, a provider of customer experience systems. The survey examined customer care issues associated with smartphone devices and the impact these have on user adoption and customer satisfaction.

The survey polled more than 4,000 wireless device users from the US, Canada and the United Kingdom in late 2009. Those respondents who had contacted a call center classified the reason for doing so as a "technical support" issue, even though the majority of these issues were basic "how to" inquiries such as device configuration (how to set up email), or menu navigation (how to enable WiFi access). "These inquiries could have been resolved quickly via web self-service, by Level One customer care agents, or by training the customer on basic usage at time of sale, saving service providers time and investment in support resources", Amdocs comments in a statement. In addition, a majority of the respondents who had difficulties in using their smartphone stated that they strongly considered returning their device because they could not resolve these basic issues.

Long and costly calls instead of self-service
According to the survey, the call center remains the first port of call: More than 50 percent of those surveyed made a call to the contact center to resolve basic support issues, taking an average of two calls to close their issue. On average, support calls lasted 17 minutes and consumers were frequently transferred to more costly technical support agents requiring more time, resources and cost. Notably, just five percent of those polled consulted the service provider's website for support.

30 percent of consumers surveyed returned for customer support to the retail outlet where they purchased their smartphone, and one in three consumers considered returning or exchanging their device due to the inability to resolve issues. 65 percent stated that they prefer self-help alternatives and identified "knowledgeable sales representatives," "faster procedures" and "web-based solutions" as ways to improve their customer service experience.

Not enough explanation in-store
One out of six consumers were unaware of their smartphone's advanced features or did not know how to use them. More than 70 percent stated that it would have been beneficial for a sales representative to explain all features at the time of purchase.

"The survey underscores that by equipping Level 1 agents and retail staff with the relevant technology and information, service providers can quickly address basic customer inquiries, reduce call handling time and increase customer satisfaction," said Seth Nesbitt, vice president of product marketing and solutions for Amdocs. "As devices become more sophisticated, service providers must ensure they have the technology to handle all types of inquiries to quickly and efficiently resolve basic or more technical issues via multiple channels."


Author(s): Sarah Dreps

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