Broadband ISP Subscribers Discouraged by Outsourced Call Centres

LONDON - June 20, 2016 - PRLog -- The quality and location of a broadband Internet provider's call centre can have an impact upon consumer satisfaction and choice. A new web-based survey conducted by broadband ISP information website ISPreview.co.uk, which questioned 1,155 of its Internet connected UK readers between 7th May and 17th June 2016, found that 35% of respondents rated the quality of their ISP's call centre as "Poor" and 83% would be discouraged from choosing a provider if they knew that it's call centre was based overseas.

The issue of outsourced (overseas) call centres is nothing new, with many consumers complaining that the adoption of foreign-based support services could result in worse outcomes. Overall 47% of respondents said that their ISP used an overseas call centre (i.e. 42.5% said it was UK based and 11% were unsure of its location), but only 31.7% reported a "Good" experience of using a call centre. Issues like "Ineffective solutions" or "Long wait times" were also top among consumer gripes with call centres.

How would you rate the quality of your ISPs call centre?
Poor - 34.6%
Good - 31.7%
Average - 26.7%
Unsure - 6.8%

What irritates you most about call centres?
Ineffective solutions - 52%
Long wait times - 24.2%
Poor sound quality - 10.4%
Other - 7.6%
Cost (premium rate) - 3.6%
Nothing - 1.9%

"Providers often outsource their call centres for cost cutting reasons (cheaper labour), but the rush to save money can sometimes negatively impact the quality of customer support. Similarly the recent problems at TalkTalk, which resulted in several call centre staff in India being arrested, have also caused some people to feel understandably concerned about the security implications of passing their personal data to overseas staff, where the rules and protections may be perceived as weaker," said ISPreview.co.uk's Founder, Mark Jackson.

"The good news is that a growing number of providers are recognising the problems and some, such as telecoms giant BT and its mobile sibling EE, are now shifting related jobs back into the United Kingdom in the hope of cutting complaint volumes and delivering a better experience. Never the less there's still a long way to go and simply moving call centres back to the UK may not solve all of the problems, particularly if processes and training aren't improved," concluded Jackson.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk