Consumers ready to do it themselves

More than a quarter of consumers would switch service providers if offered more online self service, according to research.

With consumers spending more than 10 hours a year sorting out problems with their service providers, confidence in customer service in the UK is plummeting.

Some 41 per cent of respondents indicated customer service levels have declined over the last five years, with limited access to services (36 per cent) and time consuming and arduous customer support (54 per cent) the two most common complaints.

People are seeking more control over their purchases and transactions without having to speak to customer service representatives. The lack of self service was cited by 17 per cent as their reason for turning their back on call centres.

The Intervoice Customer Interactions Study 2006 surveyed more than 1200 people about their views of customer service.

"Consumers are fed up with paying for poor customer service," said Intervoice deputy managing director Richard Arnold. "British households spend more than £382bn on services annually.

"Service providers need to take note of the emergence of a new breed of DIY consumer, one that is ready to switch providers in their search for more control."

He says the answer is not just for businesses to employ multi-channel services, but ensure the systems deployed give consumers more power.

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