LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A telecoms expert has predicted that the next generation will not tolerate call centre queues that tell them ‘your call is important to us’ whilst keeping them waiting. And they will expect a rapid response to their questions by email, text and social networks such as Twitter, or even face-to-face via video.
In an article published this week, Andy Timms, Contact Centre Specialist at communications integration company, Maintel, says that if organisations want to retain their customer loyalty, then complex multi-choice menus and expecting customers to hang on the phone will no longer do the job.
Andy Timms believes that the Internet economy will continue to drive demand for customers to contact organisations: “The basic requirement to sell to customers and deal with their questions is increasing but over the past few years, the speed and range of communications mechanisms has accelerated beyond anything predicted”.
“The next generation expects instant gratification and in any case, none of the traditional methods works well via their preferred communications mechanisms such as social media,” he says.
In part, the change has been driven by the revolution in smartphone usage. More than 21 million people now use their handsets to browse the internet and 6.8 million make multiple visits to online retailers. Within the UK population, 41 per cent now own a smartphone and this is expected to rise to 50 per cent within a year.
The article explains that the development of non-voice technology has put multi-channels into an individual’s pocket for the first time. This enables people to communicate just as easily in any format as they do by voice. They expect to be able to send emails and texts and to access customer help online, rather than waiting in a voice queue.
Andy Timms advises organisations on how to select and install their contact centres. He says: “There is a wide range of tools available now that enable companies to use multi-channel options. They can also provide face-to-face support via video which can be a much more effective way of communicating, and a multi-lingual response where it’s required.”
The full article can be downloaded free of charge at: http://www.maintel.co.uk/services/solutions/contact-centre-solutions
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