** PCI Pal® survey compares opinion between consumers and contact centre professionals in the
Having surveyed 2,600 consumers and contact centre professionals in both the
Yet with 55% of contact centre professionals envisioning that fewer staff will be employed within contact centres within the next five years as a result of technology adoption, reassurances will need to be provided to customers on the security measures that are in place, to ensure trust is maintained.
Specifically, 20% of US contact centre professionals felt that fewer contact centre staff will be needed due to increased reliance on online or self-service technologies, while 21% of
The survey found however that personal service remains king for
Specifically, 23% said they like the convenience of talking to a real person via live chat, 18% prefer to talk to someone over the phone, while a further 18% would go into a branch or store to talk to someone.
In the US, 35% of consumers would opt to speak to a customer service representative over the phone, followed by 25% who would prefer to use an online self-service function to answer their own queries, and a further 17% using live chat with a real operative, showing a greater acceptance for technology-based customer support in conjunction with more personalised options.
"While around a third (32%) of contact centre agents believe there will be a greater reliance on digital or automated customer service technology in the future, senior management have an opposing view.
"In fact, 34% of senior management felt there will be an increased focus on person-to-person contact, mindful that a truly personal service will always be valued by customers."
When asked about how contact centres have responded to the pandemic, there was some concern expressed by contact centres staff in relation to security with, overall, 52% believing they were at greater risk of a cyberattack due to agents working remotely from home.
In addition, just over two fifths (22%) of respondents said they are not confident about one or more aspects of the data security within their organisation's contact centre. When asked to explain why, 54% of those based in the US felt that limited or infrequent training was a factor, while 35% suggested that poor leadership or direction on data security rules and processes was a concern.
In the
Conversely, consumer confidence hasn't been affected during the pandemic with 48% of
Added Forsyth, "What is interesting is that while consumers appear to want to have the option of talking to a dedicated customer service representative when support or guidance is needed, the majority of both
"It is therefore important that organisations deliver a truly omnichannel service to give consumers choice in how and when they connect and communicate with an organisation, as this is clearly what consumers today expect."
To download the Security in the Contact Centre eBook, which provides a more in-depth view of the research, visit: https://www.pcipal.com/knowledge-centre/resource/security-in....
For more information on
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Notes to Editors:
US Consumer Research Methodology: An online survey was conducted by AYTM among 1000 adults aged 18+ in the
Contact Centre Professionals Research Methodology: An online survey was conducted by
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Editor's Contact:
+ 44 (0)7725 121189 // peppa@peptalkpr.co.uk
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