Global Consumer Study Reveals that Customer Service Remains Critical to Profitability

A recent worldwide survey revealed that customer service is a critical driver of profitability and satisfaction, with more than 75 per cent of consumers saying they would give more business to a company based on a great contact centre experience. The reverse is also true with over 63 per cent of consumers saying the last time they stopped doing business with a company was partly or wholly due to a poor customer service experience.

The survey, which measures consumers likes, dislikes and frustrations with contact centers and automated customer service systems, was commissioned by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc., an Alcatel-Lucent company (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU). Its findings indicate that, while investments in technology and self-service are starting to pay off, consumers increasingly want better multi-channel service, through SMS, e-mail and other new media.

“These findings have a key relevance to the Middle East which is still in a growth phase as far as contact centres are concerned, so it is important for companies to realize how the consumer experience translates into increased market share or reduced market share,” said Lincoln Payne, Genesys Regional Director for the Middle East.

A recent Datamonitor survey predicted the UAE would lead growth in the region with an average expansion up to 2009 of 16.3 per cent per annum in the number of service agents. Egypt followed with 7.1 per cent, 6.1 % in Kuwait, 6.1 per cent in Oman then Saudi Arabia with 5.5 per cent all showing considerable growth.
Lincoln Payne added that these figures are mirrored by greater expectations from Middle Eastern consumers. “Consumers in the Middle East are looking to be served fast and effectively and via the media channel of their choice.”

Email was favoured by 86 per cent of consumers with more than 45 per cent saying they would like it to become their primary communication vehicle. Speed of communication is critical, however, with 21 per cent expecting a one hour response time – up from 6 per cent in comparison to the survey’s findings in 2003. An additional 17 per cent of consumers expect an email response within 4 hours, and 47 per cent within 24 hours. In addition, 19 per cent would like web chat (instant messaging) and 17 per cent want SMS text messages.

Surprisingly, over 89 per cent of consumers would like to receive proactive communications from companies, by phone or text, to keep them informed about service delivery and/or other products and services that may be of interest to them. Proactive communications offer a way of creating a positive image with customers. According to the survey, 87 per cent of customers would have a more positive opinion of a supplier after receiving a courtesy call to thank them for their business or to ask about their satisfaction; however, only 43 percent have received such a call.

Is customer service getting better or worse? Despite the conventional wisdom of customer “no-service” as the norm, over 60 per cent of consumers see call centres as doing a better job than three years ago. An international survey of more than 4,300 consumers found that, despite some continued pockets of frustration, nearly a quarter of all consumers found their experience “significantly better,” and an additional 38 per cent felt it was “somewhat better” while only 12 per cent thought it was worse.

The Genesys solution range has been successful across the region with customers such as Emirates Airlines, Mobinil, National Bank of Dubai, Mashreqbank, Mobilecom Jordan and Al Rajhi Bank Saudi Arabia. Genesys currently has channel partnerships with Alcatel-Lucent, IBM, Mindscape, Intracom and NCR for sales and distribution of Genesys solutions in this region.