Telecoms subscribers rate service higher than special offers

2010-03-04 - Customer service is more important to consumers than product incentives. This is the result of a pan-European survey of customer service requirements of more than 4,000 European telecoms subscribers undertaken by YouGov and commissioned by eGain, a provider of multichannel customer service.

54 percent of the respondents stated that faster customer service would make the most difference to them. 38 percent said service had to be consistent and personal, 41 percent multichannel. Only every fourth participant placed "more special offers" among their top three preferences - only 14 percent in Germany.

Customers want to get a knowledgeable response (42 percent in top two preferences) and 24/7 service availability whereas only one in five subscribers listed "access to a contact center agent" in their top two preferences when asked "What do you feel is most important to your own customer experience when dealing with your telecoms service provider?"

Interaction needed for problem resolution
When it comes to upgrades, customers seem to be happy to serve themselves as every third respondent placed web self-service as their preferred contact method). But they want some level of interaction for problem resolution such as email and web chat.

French consumers expressed the highest overall preference for eService channels. For instance, 81 percent of French respondents expressed preferences for eService channels for problem resolution, compared to 77 percent in the UK and 63 percent in Germany.

Customer service through Facebook and Twitter fails to arouse interest
Demand for customer service delivery through social media and mobile devices was ranked low in respondents’ service priorities. Only younger participants expressed twice the interest. Few respondents stated that commitment to extending customer service options through social media tools (5 percent), and supporting mobile device interfacese (10 percent).

Most consumers said their last customer service experience was positive, although UK respondents were less optimistic than French and German subscribers about future service levels. Older age groups, however, were less satisfied with only 50 percent of the 55plus had a "good" or "excellent" experience compared to 58 percent of 18-24 year olds.

About the survey
The sample included 2,052 adults in the UK, 1,095 in France and 1,003 in Germany. It was conducted in January 2010. An average has been taken of the three regions, taking into account the base sizes of each country.


Author(s): Sarah Dreps

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