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What you can do about the Which? top service irritations (and to calm the nerves of your CEO)

I woke on Wednesday morning to find that Which? had just released the results of its latest polls that rank 100 of the UK’s biggest brands for service along with their customers’ top service irritations. And, Good Morning Britain had picked it up as one of their lead stories.Whenever I see national news stories about service my first thought is always for those on the call centre frontline who are asked to do battle daily with people, processes and technology. Often, armed only with underinvestment and hope. This time I thought that maybe I could help a little, as well as sympathise.So, thanks to complaining about service being a national past time (and those smart folks in the UK media realising this and giving every story about bad service huge amounts of coverage) any moment now your CEO may send you an email asking you to explain what you’re doing to combat the threat of the Which? top service irritations. And, most importantly, spare them a damaging media excuse / apology statement. Or, worse still, an appearance on the Good Morning Britain couch next to Susanna Reid.

Top 5 customer service irritations. Source: WhichIn their latest research Which? found 5 main service irritations. Four of the five are things that we’ve helped many of the UK’s biggest brands with. Here’s my advice on what to put in your action plan, and how to calm that nervous CEO:

1. Automated telephone systems. 
Over the last year we’ve worked exclusively with Nigel Clarke at Please Press 1 getting to understand the data in his Phone Rage Index. One of the biggest annoyances for callers is the length of time it takes for them to get through systems. To cut this time think about:

• Using speech recognition rather than touch tone IVR technology if there are likely to be lots of routing options. Or, when service applications are complex.
• Putting the most frequently chosen options at the beginning of menus. That way you’ll serve more customers quicker.
• Removing duplicated greetings and messages that are put in for compliance purposes such as ‘your calls may be recorded for training purposes’ etc.
• Simplifying and shortening compliance messages (or putting them elsewhere if you can).
• Limiting the number of options and menus you have. And, accepting that to improve service your costs are going to increase as advisors are going to need to redirect some calls.

Finally, regularly check your IVR for dead-ends. There’s nothing quite so annoying as making a selection and being cut off, or finding out that a number no longer exists.

2. Transfers
Check which options on your IVR create the most transfers. And, take a listen to some of these transferred calls to find out if customers are making the wrong choices because of the language used in prompts, or, because of your IVR menu structure.

3. Annoying queue and hold music
Look out for some more research from us on the subject of music later this year, but for now:

• Consider using popular music, research shows that it positively affects customer attitudes in some circumstances. You’ll need a licence for this. But, it’s not as expensive as you may think and we can simplify the process for you. Match your music to your wait time and customer demographics too.
• Let customers know where they are in the queue or how long their wait time is likely to be. Once again, research shows it’s what they most want to hear whilst waiting.
• Think about including some engaging information like answers to FAQs during wait times. You may even be able to answer some questions whilst callers are waiting.
• Avoid anything played on a Stylophone and this, the worst on-hold music we’ve ever heard!

5. Rude staff
As well as listening to what your advisors say, listen to how they say it, or their ‘Tone of Voice’. Last year we presented research at Call Centre Expo that showed C-Sat scores could be increased by 74% by improving advisor Tone of Voice. Then, think about a ToV improvement programme that targets this one particular area of your advisors’ interactions.

Out of interest we’ve completed our own poll on customer irritations as well. In the study we’ve looked at what those annoyances are. But, we’ve also broken it down by channel covering the phone, retail and on-line. Look out for it in the coming weeks.

The benefits of TalkTalk’s natural speech phone self-service system and how do your customers picture your IVR?

The second session I caught at the  Professional Planning Forum conference was about a natural language IVR from one of our customers TalkTalk. Using the new system callers can simply say what their query is about and, with sophisticated speech recognition magic, the system directs their call to where it needs to go.

More brilliant street art in Brighton. Is this how callers picture your IVR? Time for a persona makeover.The new system saw TalkTalk cut average customer self-service time by 26 seconds, whilst callers could be routed to any one of 300 endpoints. In addition self-service use went up by 28% and routing accuracy rose to reduce transfers by 16%. Overall £3 million in costs were saved and it seems that there’s plenty of potential for more savings as well. Moving away from existing touch-tone IVR was a bold move that required a considerable investment in new technology as well as scripts and a voice that was chosen to match the application and brand. It was quite a contrast to Three’s ‘making the most of what you’ve got approach’ that I covered in my previous blog. 
Both projects are very successful and show the scale of what can be achieved, on any budget, if there’s a real desire to make things better.

The evening before the TalkTalk presentation I came across this superb piece of street art whilst walking into town with friends to have dinner. At the time someone commented that it’s actually a depiction of an IVR belonging to a well known government office as, to put it kindly, the voice they’d selected was somewhat unusual. With some bitterness they also pointed out the small eyeballs in cages saying that they’re probably those of callers who became lost within the massive labyrinth of menus and options designed to trap, but not serve, customers.

We’re all anthropomorphs at heart and the ‘persona’ of the government office’s IVR clearly isn’t a good one. In the scramble to buy technology, program it and get it working, it’s easy to forget about something as simple as how your IVR comes across. But, it’s very important to us humans as it’s one of the things we use to discern the intent of whatever we are communicating with.

Listen carefully to the language and voice of your IVR and picture it as a person. Are they likeable? What social class are they? How old are they? Are they masculine or feminine? What’s their ethnicity? And, are these traits (and others) well matched to your brand, audience and the function of your IVR?

Whether you like it or not your IVR is going to have a persona. You may as well shape it and make it work for you.

IVRs, decay and bridges – the first of three postcards from this year’s Professional Planning Forum conference in Brighton

Earlier in the year I was invited to sit in on, and write about, a couple of award finalist presentations at the Professional Planning Forum’s annual conference. It took place in Brighton that, with it’s mix of Regency architecture and modern pop culture (including some brilliant street art), was an intriguing backdrop for two days of talk about service. Here’s the first of two postcards from the south coast, written at the time but not posted until now.

The first of these presentations was by the mobile communications provider Three about their IVR redesign. During the session they described how they significantly reduced the journey time through their IVR to improve the service experience from the customer’s view. And, increased self-service use by 75% to cut operating costs. The most remarkable thing was that all this was achieved without having to spend a penny on new technology. It showed that you don’t have to change technology wholesale to make a big difference. And, as we have found when working with clients, a simple audit and redesign can be all it takes to reduce transfers by 50%, increase self-service by 25% and even improve sales.The part that really caught my attention, rather unexpectedly, was that at one point in the presentation I heard one of the presenters say: “what we had before was a mess”. They’re words that I’ve listened to many times before and have written myself, maybe too often.It got me thinking. It’s too easy to simply dismiss previous IVR projects as misguided from the outset. The individuals that created them were probably no less capable than those who came after and later judge their work as dysfunctional (and in some cases are actually the same individuals). More often the efficiency and effectiveness of IVRs reduce because of another factor – time. Sorry, that’s a bit of a cop out. The cause isn’t time itself. It’s actually that time enables other things to happen and they do the damage. Do we just forget what the original constraints and objectives were? Become less willing to test the constant requests for changes against them? Or, maybe, the objectives have changed, and an IVR is being judged against a need that it was simply never designed to meet.

During the opening session of the conference Paul Smedley, PPF Chairman, described the significance of the conference’s theme, ‘bridging the gap’. Define where you are. Decide where you want to go. And, finally, work out how to bridge the difference between the two with technology, people and processes of your choosing. 

But, at the risk of taking a bridge too far (apologies), I think that it’s also interesting to consider this: Will your bridge withstand the test of time? At the beginning of your IVR project think about what governance you’ll need to put in place to stop it decaying to the point at which it’s thought of as ‘a bit of a mess’. We have seen many IVRs and the topic of controlling change and altering objectives is always one that sparks a lot of debate. If you’d like to know more about how you can manage IVR changes better, just get in touch. Maybe great IVRs, like great bridges, should stand for many many years.

Why your 03 numbers are failing (and what we can do about it)

Back in March we wrote about why some 08 numbers will be against the law for many businesses from the 13th of June this year. In that article we also covered what the pros and cons of the alternatives are. And, we promised to publish the results of some research that the respected pollsters ICM ran for us on what consumers actually felt about the old and new numbers.

Well, here it is. It’s not only told us more about what numbers you should consider. It’s also showing something that the whole of the UK service sector needs to take note of, if theses changes really are going to help build customer confidence. If not, that confidence may well be damaged rather than repaired. This article contains just a summary of the research. If you’d like a more in-depth look at the figures, and further comment from us, just get in touch for our in-depth research and analysis.

Consumers are as concerned about calling the new 03 numbers as some of the old 08 numbers

Figure 1: Consumer concern at calling different prefix numbers. It seems that 0333 was the best performing of the new numbers. But, with 64% of callers stating they’d be ‘very concerned’ or ‘concerned’ about calling it, that’s a real cause for alarm. Just 39% showed the same concerns when dialling the 01 / 02 prefixes, which is interesting given that call charges for the two are the same. With a concerted effort what it should be possible to do is to bring down the level of concern at calling 03 to that which matches 01/02 at least.The other big surprise was that consumers showed about the same level of concern when calling an 0845 number (66%) as they did with either 0345 (65%) or 0370 (68%). Calling an 03 number may be to the consumers benefit (as calls have to be included in most packages). But, at the moment at least, they just don’t seem to know it.Those businesses that have moved over to using 0800 numbers can feel reassured that they’re using the best of the bunch. Only 29% of consumers feel concerned about calling it. Having been known as the ‘Freephone’ number for such a long time perhaps that isn’t a surprise.At the moment callers using 0800 numbers may still be charged for their call if they’re using a mobile network. This may be what’s stopping it from reassuring more customers. However Ofcom will make 0800 free to call for all customers, from June next year, no matter what network (mobile or landline) they’re on. When this happens we may see the level of concern drop further.

Consumers have less confidence in their knowledge of call charges for 03 numbers than most 08 numbers

Figure 2: Lack of confidence in knowledge of landline call charges to various number prefixes.’One of the things that we thought might be driving this high level of concern (other than the level of call charges) was how confident consumers were in how much they’d be charged. You can see the results in figures 2 and 3. These cover what customers thought of their own knowledge of call charges when calling from landlines and mobiles respectively.

Figure 3: Lack of confidence in knowledge of mobile call charges to various number prefixes.Comparing all the prefixes in both graphs consumers had less confidence in their knowledge of what they’d be charged when calling from a mobile than a landline (there’s a 7% difference in the means of all prefixes).You can also see that 0800 was on top for landlines. But, drops to second, behind 01/02, for mobiles. As I mentioned earlier, 0800 is charged for by some mobile providers. This is probably creating the consumer confusion that lies behind this switch in positions.

What you should do about it

For the moment, wherever you publish your new 03 numbers – on websites, letters, emails, brochures and even phone systems themselves – let consumers know how much it’ll cost them and that the number change is to their advantage. Unfortunately what callers will actually pay is variable as it’s dependent on where they’re calling from and whether they have any ‘bundled minutes’. So, communicating this in a concise, easy to understand and accurate way is very difficult. If you need some help on where and how to communicate the changes in the best way take a look at our number change communication review below.Also, it won’t suit everyone, but think about publishing your geographic numbers (01/02) alongside your 03s. They’re useful for overseas callers and consumers seem happy to call them and are confident in how much they’ll be charged.Finally, consider using 0800 numbers if you really want to reassure your customers. It’s the number that had the lowest concern associated with it. And, when Ofcom’s changes come about next June, confidence is likely to grow further.

We’re going to need to work together on this one

The good news (if you can call it that) is that using 03 numbers is going to be no more damaging than using your old 08 numbers. The bad news is that it was Ofcom’s intention to create greater consumer confidence in the numbers they’re asked to call, that just hasn’t happened yet. In short, customers simply don’t yet know what 03 means to them in terms of cost.The cost of asking almost every business in the UK to change their numbers is likely to run into hundreds of millions pounds. But, if these changes are to start to build consumer trust immediately and be worth this considerable cost, the UK service sector is going to have to work together to make sure that consumers know that something good has happened for them.Ofcom will also be promoting 03 numbers as part of a consumer information campaign around non-geographic numbers next year.

Number change communication review

To help you to make sure that the numbers you use for sales and service are not barriers to your customers we can carry out a review for you. We’ll look at where you’ve communicated the changes so far and make sure that you’ve covered all of the bases. Also, we’ll see whether what you’re saying is short, accurate and easy to understand (as well as suggest any changes if necessary). If you’d like us to carry out a review, or just want to know more about what it entails, get in touch.

The Please Press 1 ‘Phone Rage Index’ – the answer to how big your IVR should be?

With his famous ‘Phone Rage Index’ consumer champion Nigel Clarke, at Please Press 1, is a well known and outspoken critic of bad IVRs. In his quest to rid callers of the misery that is time-consuming phone automated service he’s also meticulously catalogued the levels, options and lengths of voice prompts in IVRs belonging to over 350 of the UK’s largest organisations.I’m really pleased to be able to say that, because Nigel wants to help UK businesses to improve their IVRs, he’s kindly agreed to allow us to use the extensive data he’s collected. Using this information I think you’ll be able to have a better informed discussion about the difficult question of how big your IVR should be. And, make a better decision.

Size isn’t everything
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that size is everything. Far from it. But, the size of your IVR is something that is likely to affect both your operational costs and service scores (whether these be CSat, NPS or Customer Effort). Unfortunately they’re unlikely to both improve at the same time. So, striking a balance is what’s called for.

Size, cost and service
It’s easy to see how IVR size affects cost. The greater the range of transaction types or routing options covered, the bigger the IVR, the fewer agents are needed. And, the lower your costs will be.How size affects service scores is more complicated. You’ll find lots of guides that say IVRs should be ‘x’ wide by ‘y’ deep. But, I think that a rigid formula is likely to be inaccurate and you’ll also need to better understand your customers’ expectations. These will be based on how they see you in a cost / quality sense. And, their previous experiences of your competitors’ IVRs and those at other businesses they use. This is where Please Press 1’s data on IVR sizes will be useful.

Free size benchmark
You may find yourself at the top of the IVR size pile, or propping it up. But, I think that the answer to ‘why’ your IVR is the size that it is, is something that every service organisation needs to have thought through carefully. If you’d like to understand how your IVRs compare with those of your competitors, and the UK as a whole, just drop me an email. We’ll crunch the numbers for you and get back to you with a free benchmark report for discussion.

Will your 08 numbers be against the law?

On the 13th of June the Consumer Rights Directive will come into force and your ‘service’ and ‘helpline’ numbers may have to be charged to your customers at a ‘basic rate’. The new directive will mean that it’s against the law for you to only provide numbers like 0844 and 0870. Instead, you’ll need to provide numbers such as those beginning 03 and 0800.We believe that what your customers think about the numbers they’re dialling should play an important part in your choice of new number. And, how you should approach the changeover.We’ve also asked ICM, the famous political pollsters and market researchers, to find out more about what consumers currently think of the numbers they’re asked to call.

Here’s a round up of the why, where and what of the latest number changes. We’re saving ‘how’ for the coming weeks, when we’ll also publish the results of our number research by ICM.

Does it apply to you?
If you’re selling goods, services or digital content to consumers the changes apply to you.

Financial services companies are not affected by this change. But, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is considering whether it could introduce similar measures for customers calling banks, insurance companies and investment brokers.Currently there’s no requirement for package holiday and timeshare companies to make a change either.Some technical helplines may be exempt as well. This is as long as they’re not using lines that customers are also expected to call to discuss problems with something that they’ve already bought.The government also says that it’s inappropriate for callers to pay high call charges for accessing vital public services and The Cabinet Office has already published guidance on this.There are some other exceptions too. You’ll find them in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) Implementing Guidance document. Page 7 section B.

Why oh why?
In short the change is designed to stop businesses making money out of calls to service lines. At the moment they can collect some of the per minute call charges if customers come through on some 08 numbers and those beginning 09.It’s also hoped that the move will make the amount that consumers have to pay in call charges lower and more consistent.It’s being brought in with a raft of other consumer protection legislation as part of the Consumer Rights Directive.

What will change?
If you’re covered by the directive you’ll have to provide ‘helpline’ and ‘service’ numbers that are charged to your customers at a ‘basic rate’.What does ‘basic rate’ mean? Well, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills says: “the basic rate requirement means not charging more than a geographic or mobile rate. Consumers should generally expect to pay no more to phone a trader about something they have bought than to call a friend or relative.”Here’s our rough guide to what’s not OK number wise. If you’re using any of them you’ll need to provide a basic rate alternative:

• 0843, 0844, 0845 – revenue sharing numbers
• 0870 – older non-geographic number popular with businesses
• 0871, 0872, 0873 – revenue sharing numbers
• 09 – premium rate numbers

For more advice about what does and doesn’t comply with the new directive, take another look at the BIS Implementing Guidance. Page 20 section J.

Which new numbers should you choose?There are 4 big things to consider when choosing your new numbers:

1. Whether they comply with the new directive
2. How much they’ll cost you
3. How much they’ll cost your customers
4. What your customers actually think about the numbers

Here’s a run down of the numbers that comply with the new directive. And, a rough guide to how much they’ll cost you and your customers. We’ll cover what customers actually think about the numbers in our next blog.

*Typical costs when a customer calls from a landline, doesn’t include set up and line rental fees. You can find more information about how much calling these numbers will cost your customers in Ofcom’s guide to numbers.

A good or bad thing for you?
Overall the changes should mean that your customers will be less confused and concerned about calling you as the cost of doing so will be clearer. But (and it’s a big one) it’s likely to cost you more. This is because you won’t be able to collect call revenues for helpline and service calls. And, unless you opt for a non-geographic or mobile number, you’ll have to pick up at least some of the cost of calls if you don’t already do so.

Look out for our next blog on what consumers actually think about the new numbers. And, some tips on what to do to make sure your number changes happen at the minimum cost and with the maximum customer satisfaction.