78 Percent of Consumers in Europe Report Last Call Center Interaction Met or Exceeded Expectations

Aspect Software, Inc., the world?s largest company solely focused on the contact center, and Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, a premier market research company, today announced the results of the inaugural Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index™ Europe, which found that although contact centers are meeting European consumers? expectations, those expectations are low. The Aspect Index Europe is the first and only published independent survey of consumer experience versus expectation of contact center interactions in Europe.

The 2006 Aspect Index Europe measures the quality of consumers? telephone and Internet interactions with companies and their representatives across six countries ? the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. In total 1,000 interviews were completed with consumers, producing a survey sample with an overall confidence level of +/- 3 percent. Additionally, more than 150 contact center managers, directors and executives representing a cross-section of contact center professionals were interviewed.

Seventy-eight percent of European consumers surveyed said that their last actual contact center experience met or exceeded their expectations. However, prior to that interaction, those expectations were low (6.4 on a scale of 10). They anticipated beforehand that the experience would have significant shortcomings.

?While these low expectations seem to be an indictment of contact centers, they also present a significant business opportunity for European companies,? said Isabel Montesdeoca, senior director of marketing, Europe and Africa, for Aspect Software. ?They can use the findings of the Aspect Index Europe to move ahead of the competition by setting higher service standards for themselves in the areas consumers highlighted as being most important. Contact centers can?t always assume they know what their customers want.?

The survey takes into consideration 26 topics across three categories:

• Empathy and Advocacy ? the human aspect of customer interactions, such as patience, knowledge, professionalism and friendliness

• Efficiency ? the overall quality and speed of the experience, including having a clear connection and being able to speak quickly with an agent who has authority to resolve issues

• Automation ? explores ease-of-use of technologies like automated menus, multiple contact choices and accessibility of contact information from websites

The Aspect Index Europe found significant gaps between what consumers want and what contact centers are actually delivering. European contact center professionals rated the quality of the service they provide a 78 out of 100 (equivalent to a high B grade). European consumers, however, rated that same service 67 out of 100 (equivalent to a D grade). This indicates that contact centers are consistently overestimating consumer satisfaction with the service they deliver.

?Companies that want to succeed in any business need to assess regularly how consumers perceive them,? said Margaret Mueller of Leo J. Shapiro and Associates, which conducted the survey of European consumers and analyzed the results. ?The Aspect Index Europe can provide valuable insight, backed by hard data, to help them get a strong grasp on what consumers want and deserve to experience when they call, chat or email for service and sales assistance.

?Often times the interactions consumers have with a contact center are their only interactions with the company,? added Mueller. ?So for them, the contact center is the company. This means that every contact they make can help to cement a positive relationship with the brand. The companies that have a firm understanding of this can set themselves apart from the competition and build a very loyal customer base.?

Key Findings in Europe

Using a letter grade scale of A through F, consumers in all six European countries gave contact centers an overall D grade (Needs Improvement). While 78 percent of consumers said their last contact center interaction met or exceeded their expectations, those expectations are low ? providing the opportunity for contact centers to raise the service bar.

European consumers rated the ?Empathy and Advocacy? qualities of contact center agents a slightly higher C grade (Average). However, consumers were less satisfied with the ?Efficiency? and ?Automation? of contact centers today, awarding each of these with an E grade (Significant Shortcomings).

Not surprisingly, the research indicates that European consumers are interested in interacting with contact centers whose agents are knowledgeable and informed, speak clearly and are easy to understand, are patient, act professionally and take responsibility for resolving issues. They also want their inquiries to be answered quickly and their problems resolved swiftly.

Additional key findings for Europe include:

• The phone still dominates customer interactions. The last customer interaction undertaken by 66 percent of European consumers was by phone, while 33 percent used email, and 2 percent used web chat.

• In 4 percent of the European consumer interactions studied, respondents swung from ?happy customer? before the contact to ?about to change supplier? after the contact ? providing evidence that contact center interaction can be critical to a business.

• German customers are the most content with contact centers (rating the service they deliver at 69.9 out of 100), followed closely by the UK (67.5 out of 100), while Italian customers are the most unhappy (65.3 out of 100).

• Thirty-five percent of interactions with communications companies fell short of European consumer expectations compared to only 17 percent of retail company interactions and 16 percent of financial company interactions.

• Twenty-two percent of consumers in Europe said that their last contact center interaction fell short of their expectations, while only 2 percent of contact center professionals would agree that was the case.

• Eighty-eight percent of European consumers said that ?advisors taking responsibility for resolving an issue? was important to their contact center experience, but only 80.9 percent of European contact center professionals agreed.

• Seventy-three percent of consumers said that the ?ability to easily access a person from an automated menu? was important, while only 68.8 percent of contact center professionals agreed.

• Eighty-one percent of consumers thought that ?minimizing waiting time? was important, while only 70 percent of contact centers thought the same.