A new survey suggests that an increasing number of companies are using the covid pandemic as an excuse for poor communications with customers.
The survey of 1,000 adults, by communications company Moneypenny shows that 85% of people believe that 11 months into the pandemic, an increasing number of companies are stating that there will be a delay in answering phone calls, or engaging in live chat, due to unusually high call volumes caused by the pandemic.
And people seem understanding of the situation, as 55% said they believed phone delays were acceptable due to covid, with younger consumers more tolerant than older ones. Nearly 20% typically give up waiting altogether.
When asked which types of companies and organisations were the worst for answering calls, or not being able to get through to them, utility companies were most frequently mentioned followed by doctors, banks – and phone companies!
Group CEO of Moneypenny Joanna Swash believes companies are not doing enough to resolve waiting times. She said: “…the survey shows that the pandemic is too often being used as a scapegoat for companies delivering unbelievably poor communications, and consumers should not accept this as inevitable.
“Even with reduced staff through redundancies and furloughing, there are so many cost-effective solutions available to ensure customer calls and live chat can continue, so it’s not good enough for companies to do nothing and to reduce service levels.
“As businesses open up there is a real danger that customers will vote with their feet and move to a competitor if poor service levels continue.”
