Survey shows call centers are not ready for the new consumer

According to new research from Rostrvm Solutions, customers are beginning to demand multimedia contact but most call centers are far from ready to meet expectations. The research shows that call center adoption of new media is under way, customer
contact mechanisms are changing, but not at the same pace as consumers.

The survey revealed strong investment in both ‘traditional’ call center technology and new media communication. But it also identified that the different media effectively operate as customer interaction islands, not as an integrated customer experience.

The overwhelming majority (98%) of call centers have an associated web presence. Despite general growth in internet activity it is still rare for businesses to complete the majority of transactions on the internet. Capturing customers and prospects with active links to the call center, such as call-me buttons, is not seen as a priority. Under 15% of call centers have a ‘Call Me’ presence on the web site growing to less than 25% over 3 years.

The vast majority of call centers have already embraced the email revolution. 97% of call centers already use email to communicate with customers (rising to 98% over the next 3 years). The newer, more immediate media have significantly less penetration; text messaging has been recognized as an important medium in some areas and already used in around 30% of call centers but this figure is not expected to rise above 50% over the coming years.

PC based communication - instant messaging such as Messenger and PC Telephony such as Skype – are not widely adopted or planned to have a large impact. Around 11% of call centers currently use Instant Messaging growing to around 24% in three years; less than 8% support PC Telephony building to around 20% over the next three years.

More information can be found at http://www.supportindustry.com/