Survey: Users unhappy with PC call centers

Computerworld - Customers are less satisfied with PC call centers than they are with the call centers of other industries, according to a survey (download PDF) by CFI Group Worldwide LLC in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Of the six industries measured in the first Customers' Call Center Satisfaction Index, the PC industry received the lowest score, 64 out of 100, on the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Catalog call centers, on the other hand, received a score of 80; banking call centers, 77; cell phone service call centers, 69; cable and satellite television call centers, 68; and insurance call centers also received a score of 68, according to the survey.

The overall ACSI score for a given quarter is based on scores from about 200 companies in 43 industries and from government agencies over the previous four quarters.

The issues that most affected customers' satisfaction with call centers were the ability of the representatives to resolve problems and offshoring, the survey said.

According to the survey, nearly 73% of the people who have bad experiences with their PC companies' call centers said they will consider purchasing their next PCs from another company, while 85% of customers who had their problems resolved by calling a PC call center said they would continue doing business with the company. But only 33% of customers whose problems were not resolved said they would continue doing business with a PC company, according to CFI Group.

In addition, offshoring is a bigger issue in the PC industry than in any other industry, according to the survey. A quarter of all callers said the call center was based in another country, which is very high compared with other industries, the survey found, and callers who thought the call center was in another country are considerably less satisfied and less loyal to the PC company.

"Offshoring has a negative impact on satisfaction because offshore customer service reps are less adept at solving customer problems," Sheri Teodoru, program director at CFI Group and author of the study, said in a statement. "Customer service reps located outside of the U.S. are rated lower on communication skills. When communication skills are poor, customers' issues remain unsolved in the majority of cases."

According to the survey, the catalog and banking call centers top the list in customer satisfaction because their representatives provide excellent customer service and are good at resolving problems.

But PC call centers didn't fare as well because nearly 25% of callers hang up even though their problems were not resolved, causing PC customer service representatives to be rated much lower in solving problems.

"Too many companies treat call centers as cost centers rather than seeing them as an opportunity to solidify the customer relationship, resulting in increased loyalty and retention," said Teodoru. "Based on this research, any company that isn't putting resources into making sure that the call center is delivering customer satisfaction rather than frustration is taking a huge risk with its customer asset."