In a recent Ouch Point study from Opinion Research Corporation, one in five U.S. respondents, or 20 percent, cited hard-to-understand representatives with thick accents as their biggest frustration in dealing with customer service departments. Coming in at a close second (17 percent) was the length of time it takes to get through to a representative.
“Customer service representatives are the ‘face’ of any service organization, and therefore need to be understood by their customers,” said Linda G. Shea, Senior Vice President and Global Managing Director of Customer Strategies at Opinion Research Corporation.
“Issues such as the time it takes to reach a representative, a lack of familiarity with the company’s products and services, and being transferred to the wrong person or department, when not identified and remedied, can cause significant damage to a company’s reputation and future business,” she added.
The study also found that 14 percent cited frustration with representatives who are not knowledgeable about their organization’s products, services or processes. Another 13 percent were frustrated with being transferred to the wrong person or the wrong department.
Another nine percent of respondents were frustrated with representatives who promise to follow through and don’t, while eight percent were frustrated over representatives who are not empowered to handle a situation.
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