97% customers hate call centres

ANI
[ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 08, 2004 01:50:13 PM ]
LONDON:

Customer care centres don't seem to fit the satisfactory framework anymore. According to a survey, 97 per cent people cringe at the thought of having to dial a call centre number. People find call centres very annoying for one reason or the other, reported the Mirror. Being left on hold too long, was the most common complaint but complicated automated options also riled more than a third of users.

The survey, conducted by the Citizens' Advice Bureaux, revealed that a whopping 90 per cent of all call centre customers had complaints, while 40 per cent were completely dissatisfied. While being put on hold was named as the most annoying aspect of call centres by more 50 per cent of the 2,253 people taking part in the survey, more than 30 per cent said that the long lists of options weretoo complex. A fifth said they hated the lack of human contact, and 17 per cent were disgusted on being passed from one department to another.

The experience was even worse if the caller happened to be bad at speaking in English, had limited phone access or if they were not rich enough to afford the long calls, which most call centres require. Utility companies were the worst offenders followed by financial institutions. Government offices, banks and insurance firms were also listed as companies with bad customer care services.

Language wars

from:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/729062.cms

*NOTE: The following article is based on the viewpoint of the India press and business concerns.
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TIMES NEWS NETWORK
[ TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 07, 2004 11:31:26 PM ]
BANGALORE:

The BPO industry and IT services sector do not pose any direct threat to each other as they operate in different spaces. But today, at least on one front, they vie for the same pie: the talent that speaks "quality English".

IT services firms are now looking for people with excellent command over English to fill positions that demand increased customer/end-user interface or product understanding. This makes the job turf tougher for BPO players who are already hard pressed for agents who speak good English.

Earlier, IT firms were willing to hire candidates who could think and develop software. Communication capabilities or English language proficiency were not given any additional importance. However, like in the case of BPO, IT industry too gauges candidates on four-main yardsticks: Voice clarity, neutral accent, fluency and grammar.

In fact, IT companies have been asking their head hunters to scout for candidates with excellent communication skills.

"This is a fresh trend. Earlier, IT companies looked only for domain knowledge and technical expertise. Today they are keen to get people with excellent communication skills in addition to technical qualification," says B S Murthy, CEO of Human Capital, a Bangalore-based hiring firm.

According to M Padaki, director of soft skill assessment firm MeritTrac, average skills are enough to handle testing, designing, maintenance or support jobs. It is important for project leader to be in touch with clients to understand product specifications."In certain cases, the interaction extends up to the end-user level, who is mostly a native English speaker," Padaki says.