SALES CALLS ANNOY CUSTOMERS

The vast majority of UK consumers dislike sales approaches from call centre staff during service-related calls, new research has revealed.

A survey of 500 contact centre customers, conducted by Maritz Research, showed that although two thirds listened to the offers, only three per cent appreciated information about a new product during service calls.

And of those surveyed, 40 per cent said they only listened to the offer out of courtesy.

Further proof that UK consumers are annoyed by sales approaches is demonstrated by the increasing number of people registering with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to avoid unsolicited sales and marketing calls.

Within the last three years, the number of UK consumers who registered for this service has doubled.

Dawn Ray, of Maritz Research, said callers who have a problem or a complaint usually don’t want to do business.

“If call centre staff do not take this into account, the companies risk causing offence and potentially losing their customers,” said Ray.

Published in eCCF