More than 61% of consumers see improvements from three years ago, but key pockets of frustration continue...

An international survey of more than 4,300 consumers found that, over 61% of consumers see call centres as doing a better job than three years ago, despite some continued pockets of frustration.

The biggest causes of customer frustration:

67% of consumers are frustrated by long hold times, and 88 per cent would prefer to receive a call-back in 10 minutes than to be on hold for that long

57% of consumers are frustrated by IVRs with too many or incorrect options and 76 per cent of consumers feel that companies are pushing them to use self-service systems instead of talking to live people

52% of consumers are frustrated by having to repeat information they've already provided.

The survey was commissioned by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories.

Wes Hayden, president and chief executive officer of Genesys, commented: "Given the direct impact of contact centre performance on customer loyalty, successful companies must take every opportunity to connect with their customers to create a positive experience. Customer service is improving, but the expectations of consumers are going up as well. As the world market becomes more competitive, the most successful companies are ones that make the best use of every channel and every interaction. Companies should engage their customers with a well-planned and executed contact centre strategy."