Broadband News

Foreign call centres top telecoms frustrations

Tuesday, 15 December 2009

Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

Getting through to a foreign call centre is the most frustrating thing about calling customer service lines, according to new research.

More than half of respondents in the study said that they found it most annoying when foreign call centre staff did not understand their problem, they told a YouGov poll for KC (Kingston Communications), broadband provider for Hull.

This was followed by the need to navigate automated responses with 22% and the inability to provide an answer outside of a script, which 12% of people found the most frustrating.

“While all businesses are under pressure to cut costs, it is important that customers come before profit,” said Nick Thompson, director of consumer services at KC. “This research suggests that outsourcing call centres to companies overseas may be a step too far.”

The research also found that nearly a third of respondents rarely or never had their problems solved on the first call.

Michael Phillips, Broadbandchoices.co.uk product director, said: “If you feel that you're not getting the kind of service you need from your supplier, maybe it’s time to consider switching broadband provider. There are some great packages around and switching can save you up to £135 on your bills as well as getting you a better service.

“For example, O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) has won awards for its free, UK-based customer service, and offers discounts on its broadband packages for existing customers - making it even better value. Plusnet Broadband (www.Plus.net) is also a great choice - an award-winning provider that offers some of the cheapest broadband on the market.”

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