Are you being served?

Last year alone, consumers were expected to spend an estimated £40 billion online in the UK, according to predictions made by uSwitch. Some £4 billion of that was expected to be spent solely during the festive period. As online sales soar, UK companies must do everything they can to differentiate themselves from the competition as good customer service becomes a key factor in ensuring that they stand out.

Customers in the UK are beginning to expect more from their online experience. But it would seem when it comes to service, what they want is not always what they get. Indeed, research from eService provider Transversal, is proof positive of this issue as it highlights the fact that UK organisations are struggling to deliver efficient customer service.

Transversal's research measured customer service by searching for answers to common sector-specific questions on 100 major UK company websites. The research found that websites could only provide answers for 50 per cent of questions asked online, while it took an average of 46 hours to respond to email, forcing consumers to use other communications channels. Calls to contact centres yielded much faster response times with 42 per cent of calls answered within a minute and 67 per cent answered within three minutes.

"While we've seen marginal improvements over the three years that we have carried out this analysis, a lack of a cohesive multi-channel strategy means in the majority of cases, it is quicker to call than visit a company's website," said Davin Yap, Transversal's chief executive. "With the massive investment made in the online channel and its ability to offer unparalleled tailoring and personalisation, UK organisations need to start giving the answers online."

Customer care in the contact centre

With contact centres receiving the brunt of customer concerns and queries effective self-service has never been more important, according to Jennifer Axelrad, Nuance's marketing manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). "There's a real shift in the way that companies are thinking about how they care for their customers. Customers have a lot more power than they used to have - with sites like YouTube and social networking sites, they are more likely to share their positive and negative consumer experiences with a wider audience," she said.

"In the past, cost savings were the thing companies thought about the most when it came to automated service. But now it's much more focused on customer care. Customers don't want to spend time waiting to complete a simple transaction or have their questions answered, and with peak times like Christmas to contend with, companies need to be alive to that. As consumers become increasingly mobile, the need to provide anytime, anywhere information becomes even more important."

Nuance has issued five guiding principles to help companies evaluate their self-service strategies. By understanding these issues, the company believes that organisations can begin to address the details that callers often feel are missing in their self-service experience. But as customer demand grows, contact centres cannot be responsible for customer service alone.

Improving the online experience

As websites struggle to meet customer demand, companies must understand that their customers expect their questions to be answered immediately. Dee Roche, Transversal's head of marketing, said: "People shouldn't have to drill down through layers of navigation and help pages to find content that may or may not be relevant. They want to make informed purchasing decisions, so making information easily available on your website avoids the frustration of them having to refer to other channels for answers to routine questions."

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