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The 2006 Aspect Contact Center
Satisfaction  Europe

 


Aspect Index Europe reveals gaps between consumer expectations and satisfaction
with contact center interactions.
Summary
The Aspect Index Europe is the result of an independent survey of more than
1,000 consumers and 150 contact center professionals across six European
countries. This study was commissioned by Aspect Software and conducted
by independent consumer research specialists Leo J. Shapiro.
The results of this survey show that consumers in the six European
countries surveye€œ France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the
United Kingdom€œ give contact centers an overall satisfaction index rating of
D oNeeds Improvement.
To provide an understanding of where contact centers fall short and how
they can improve their performance, the study evaluates a number of important
factors that relate to the interactions that consumers have with contact
centers, along with relevant supporting technologies and applications.
It organizes the results into three general sets of criteria:
1. Empathy and Advocacy (People)
2. Efficiency (Time)
3. Automation (Technology)
While more than three quarters (78%) of European consumers say that
contact centers meet or exceed their expectations, the research shows that
consumers actually have low expectations when it comes to the service they
anticipate from contact centers. In most cases contact centers are only
marginally exceeding those low expectations.
Personnel qualities categorized by Empathy and Advocacy are of primary
importance and, of the measured factors, European consumers are most
satisfied with performance in this area, scoring the grouping with an overall
Average) grade. Consumers are not, however particularly pleased with
Efficiency₝ or Automation₝ features, giving contact centers an overall grade
of (Significant Shortcomings) for each.
D
Overall grade
(26 Criteria)
67%
E
Overall grade for
Automation
(6 Criteria)
62%
C
Overall grade for
Empathy and Advocacy
(13 Criteria)
70%
E
Overall grade for
Efficiency
(7 Criteria)
64%
Executive Report
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ii The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
www.aspectindex.com ‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending
Items Ranked by Consumers
Knowledgeable and informed
Speaks clearly/easy to understand
Patient
Professional
Takes responsibility for resolving issue
Cares and wants to help
Understands situation
How quickly they answered the phone
Able to speak with person without long delay
Friendly and courteous
Able to resolve issue in single interactions
Flexible and creative
Clear connection without delays or lags
Appreciates your business
Authority to solve without transferring
Minimize waiting time
Provides follow-up to make sure issue is resolved
Person instead of automated system
Able to resolve issue without being transferred
Easily access person from automated menu
Multiple contact options
Easily access person while browsing website
Easy-to-use automated menu
Consistent policies and procedures
Consistent with company image
Automated system that resolves issues
Importance
92
89
88
88
88
87
86
86
85
84
83
82
82
81
81
81
79
77
73
73
72
69
66
61
59
42
Empathy and Advocacy
Efficiency
Automation
Figure 1
Consumers Rank Importance
As shown in Figure 1, when it comes to ranking elements
of contact center interactions, European consumers are most
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 to be
resolved swiftly.
The majority of consumers still use the telephone as their
primary means of contact (66%). Email correspondence
is gaining in popularity (33%) and a very small number of
early adopters are utilizing online chat (2%). See Figure 2.
Contact center professionals across Europe overwhelmingly
think they are performing better than consumers say
they are, indicating a lack of understanding when it comes
to what consumers want. There are also significant gaps
between what consumers want and what contact centers
are actually delivering.
The data contained in the Aspect Index Europe can help
companies understand how they compare to other contact
centers in their region. It enables them to see what they are
doing well and, when necessary, refocus operations to more
effectively meet consumer needs, exceed consumer expectations
and ultimately increase brand loyalty as well
as market share.
Chat
Email
65% Phone
33%
2%
Europe
Contact Center Interaction Channels
Figure 2
iii The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending
Table of Contents
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Making the Grade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Contact Centers Meet Low Consumer Expectations . . . . . . . 2
Overall Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Empathy and Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Efficiency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Fact vs. Fiction - Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Contact Centers Have Skewed Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Empathy and Advocacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Efficiency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Investment in Emerging Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Consumer Satisfaction with Emerging Capabilities. . . . . . . 11
Exposure to Emerging Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Europe Compared to North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Overall Findings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Empathy and Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Fact vs. Fiction - Europe vs. North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Contact Centers Overestimate Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Empathy and Advocacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Aspect Software Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
What is the Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index Europe?
In 2005, Aspect Software, Inc. established the Aspect Index to provide a measure of consumer satisfaction of telephone and
internet-based interactions with companies and their representatives in North America. In 2006, Aspect Software Inc.
commissioned a similar study in Europe to deliver a baseline comparison for consumer satisfaction and contact center perceptions
across six countries - France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The Aspect Index Europe is based upon the responses to surveys of more than 1,000 consumers representing a cross-section
of age groups, incomes, professions and education levels; and 150 contact center managers, directors and executives. The
Aspect Index Europe, which is an independent survey conducted by Leo J. Shapiro & Associates LLC, adjusts over time to
reflect changes and trends in contact center performance, relative use of various communications channels and the changes in
the importance that consumers place on various components of service. It is a new measure of experience versus expectation
related to contact center interactions.
www.aspectindex.com
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction IndexâEurope Executive Report 1
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
Making the Grade
The Aspect Index Europe evaluates 26 elements relating
to contact center interactions. Each characteristic is given
a mean rating based on one of two scales, either:
1. A nine-point rating scale, where  meansbextremely
satisfied and ₓ1₝ means ₓnot at all satisfied,₝ or
2. A five-point rating scale, where ₓ5₝ means ₓextremely
important₝ and ₓ1₝ means ₓnot at all important.₝
The mean scores are then mapped to a mean satisfaction
rating scale based upon research developed by Leo J. Shapiro
over 55 years of consumer research. The satisfaction rating
scale is explained in Figure 3.
The satisfaction ratings for each element are then combined,
weighted by each element's importance to consumers,
to calculate an overall satisfaction index based on a 100 point
scale, where 100 is a perfect grade.
The overall satisfaction index is also mapped to a letter
grade, the highest being an ₓA₝ or ₓOutstanding₝ performance.
The grading scale is explained in Figure 4.
Satisfaction Ratings
Mean Scores Mean Scores
Satisfaction Ratings (1 to 9 scale) (1 to 5 scale)
Outstanding 8.0 or above 4.4 or above
Very Strong 7.8 to 7.9 4.3
Strong 7.6 to 7.7 4.2
Above Average 7.2 to 7.5 4.0 to 4.1
Average 7.0 to 7.1 3.9
Needs Improvement 6.7 to 6.9 3.7 to 3.8
Significant Shortcomings 6.1 to 6.6 3.4 to 3.6
Substandard Performance 6.0 or below 3.3 or below
Figure 3
Index Results and Correlating Letter Grades
Grades Index Results Description
A 80 or above Outstanding
B 75 to 79 Strong
C 70 to 75 Average
D 65 to 69 Needs Improvement
E 61 to 65 Significant Shortcomings
FX/F 60 or below Substandard Performance
Figure 4
*See Methodology section on page 15, for details on grading and scoring.
Actual vs. Expected Satisfaction â‚€œ By Country
Mean Rating Each for Satisfaction
Outstanding
Above Average
Needs Improvement
Significant
Shortcomings
Substandard
9.0
4.0
6.6%
6.4% 6.5%
6.3%
6.7% 6.7%
6.5%
6.3%
6.6%
6.8%
6.6%
6.3% 6.4%
6.1%
Europe U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
Actual Satisfaction Expected Satisfaction
Figure 7
Consumers were asked: â‚“Before making contact with that company, how satisfied did you
expect to be with their service?₝
2 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
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Contact Centers
Meet Low Consumer
Expectations
Overall Findings
Consumers in all six of the countries
surveyed â‚€œ France, Germany, Italy, the
Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom
give contact centers an overall ₓD₝ (Needs
Improvement) grade, ranging from a low of
65.3% in Italy to a high of 69.9% in Germany.
See Figure 5.
Across Europe, approximately one quarter
of all contact center interactions exceed
expectations (26%), slightly more than half
of all interactions meet expectations (52%)
and more than one in five interactions falls
short of consumer expectations (22%).
Four out of five German consumers (81%)
say that contact center interactions meet
or exceed their expectations. Italian
consumers are most delighted, with more
than one third saying that their experiences
exceed their expectations (37%). See
Figure 6.
Unfortunately, whether they are communicating
by telephone, email or online chat,
consumers across Europe have low expectations.
By and large, consumers feel that
contact centers are delivering at or around
those low level expectations. See Figure 7.
As a result, meeting or exceeding consumer
expectations is not sufficient to claim victory.
Overall Grade â‚€œ By Country
67% 67.5% 67.1% 66.6%
69.9%
65.3% 66%
Europe U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Figure 5
Figure 6
Consumer Contact Center Interaction Expectations
Percent Resolved
Exceeds Meets Falls Short
26%
33%
25%
19%
37%
52%
44%
42%
55%
22%
24%
26%
20%
18%
23% 22%
62%
40%
69%
8%
32%
Europe U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Consumers were asked: â‚“Did the service you received exceed, meet or fall short of the expectations
you had before making contact with the company?₝
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 3
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
European consumers express the greatest
interest in the human aspect of contact
center interactions (Empathy and Advocacy),
followed by time-related qualities (Efficiency)
and then technology-related features
(Automation). Consumer satisfaction levels
relating to ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝ are
average, with contact centers earning
an overall grade of ₓC₝ (72%). Consumer
ratings for ₓEfficiency₝ and ₓAutomation₝
are poor, with contact centers earning an
ₓE₝ (Significant Shortcomings) rating for
each (64% and 62% respectively).
When compared to a typical face-to-face
interaction, only one in 10 consumers rate
their last phone, email or chat interaction
worse (11%), while one in five say it was
better (22%) and the majority feel it was
about the same (67%). Italian consumers
give telephone, email and chat interactions
the highest ranking over a typical face-toface
interaction with more than one in three
rating their last contact center interaction
as better (39%). In contrast, only one in 10
German consumers is more satisfied with
their last contact center interaction over
their most recent face-to-face experience
(11%). See Figure 8.
Across Europe, the majority of consumers
still use the telephone as their primary
means of contact (66%), however more
than one in three consumers in France,
Germany and the Netherlands choose email
as their mode of contact (38%). See Figure 9.
The following sections outline in detail
the findings of the Aspect Index Europe
categorized by the three general sets of
criteria, providing a high-level comparison
of the six European countries surveyed
and contrasting the European and North
American survey results.
Contact Center vs. Face-to-Face Interactions
Figure 8
Percent Better/Worse
22%
11%
18%
12%
24%
9%
18%
11% 11%
14%
39%
6%
19%
11%
Europe U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
40%
20%
0%
WorsBetter e
Method of Contact â‚€œ By Country
Figure 9
Chat
U.K.
Email
72% Phone
24%
4%
Chat
Netherlands
Email
61% Phone
38%
1%
Chat
Spain
Email
67% Phone
32%
1%
Chat
Germany
Email
60% Phone
36%
4%
Chat
Italy
Email
75% Phone
23%
2%
Chat
France
Email
61% Phone
38%
1%
Empathy and Advocacy
European consumers say that â‚“Empathy and
Advocacy,₝ the people-related measures, are
the most important of the three general sets
of criteria surveyed. Consumers are also most
satisfied with contact center performance in
this area, scoring ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝
with a â‚“C₝ (70%) â‚€œ an â‚“Average₝ grade.
Consumers in Europe rate the following as the
most important qualities in terms of satisfaction
with consumer-to-agent communications:
1. Being knowledgeable and informed
2. Speaking clearly and being easy to
understand
3. Being patient and willing to spend the
time needed to fully resolve issues
4. Acting professionally
5. Taking responsibility for resolving issues
In fact, consumers rank these same â‚“Top
Five₝ items as the most important across all
three general sets of criteria surveyed.
As illustrated in Figure 10, European consumers
report greater satisfaction with the
friendliness and courteousness shown by
contact center agents as well as their abilities
to ₓspeak clearly and to be easily understood₝
(75%). Consumers are least satisfied
(61%) with contact centers' ability to
ₓfollow consistent policies and procedures.₝
Having ₓknowledgeable and informed₝
agents â‚€œ the quality that is most important to
European consumers â‚€œ achieves a consumer
satisfaction rating of 73%, or â‚“Above
Average.₝
As shown in Figure 11, consumers in
Germany report greater satisfaction with
performance relating to â‚“Empathy and
Advocacy₝ (72%), while Spanish consumers
assign contact centers the lowest score in
this area (68%).
Overall Consumer Satisfaction with Empathy and Advocacy â‚€œ By Country
Figure 11
70.1% 70.3%
68%
72.3%
68.6% 70%
U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
4 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
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Empathy and Advocacy: Consumer Satisfaction Index
Figure 10
100%
90%
60%
70%
80%
50%
40%
30%
20%
Knowledgeable and informed
Speaks clearly/easy to understand
Patient/spends time to fully resolve issue
Professional
Takes responsibility to resolve issue
Cares and wants to help
Understands you and situation
Friendly and courteous
Flexible and creative in solving problem
Values you as a customer and your business
Follow-up to resolve issue
Consistent policies and procedures
Consistent with company image
C
Overall grade for Empathy and Advocacy
(13 Criteria)
70%
Efficiency
European consumers say that contact center
ₓEfficiency,₝ the time-related measures, is
less important than ₓEmpathy and Advocacy,₝
but more important than ₓAutomation.₝
Consumers are rather unsatisfied with
Efficiency, assigning this category a poor
overall grade of ₓE₝ (Significant Shortcomings)
at 64%.
Despite the significant technological advances
of the past few decades, consumers
are still most interested in ₓEfficiency₝
improvements as they relate to people.
The following efficiency elements are the
factors identified as most important:
1. Quick response to a telephone call,
email or chat
2. The ability to speak with a person
without a long delay
3. The ability to resolve a query in a
single interaction
As shown in Figure 12, European consumers
are most satisfied when they have the
opportunity to speak with a person that has
the authority to solve the issue themselves
(68%) and are least pleased with long
holding or waiting times (58%). Consumers
say that contact centers perform below
average (65%) with regards to how quickly
they answer or respond to calls, emails
or chat â‚€œ the quality that they most value.
As shown in Figure 13, Germany reports
the highest satisfaction with contact center
performance relating to ₓEfficiency₝ (67%),
while French consumers report the lowest
satisfaction (63%) in this category.
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 5
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
100%
90%
60%
70%
80%
50%
40%
30%
20%
Quick answer/response to call, email or chat
Able to speak with person without long delay
Fully resolve issue in a single interaction
Clear connection without delays or lags
Authority to solve issue
Minimizing hold or wait time
Solve issue without being transferred
Efficiency: Consumer Satisfaction Index
Figure 12
E
Overall grade for Efficiency
(7 Criteria)
64%
65.5%
64.2% 65.3% 67.4%
63% 62.8%
U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Overall Consumer Satisfaction with Efficiency â‚€œ By Country
Figure 13
Automation
Technology-related features, referred to as
ₓAutomation₝, are the least important to
European consumers. They also receive the
lowest score of the three criteria groupings â‚€œ
ₓE₝ (Significant Shortcomings) at 62%.
Consumers indicate a preference for technology
systems that help to facilitate human
contact. They rank the following as the
leading ₓAutomation₝ features:
1. Ability to easily access a person rather
than an automated system
2. Ability to easily access a person from
an automated menu
3. Multiple contact options
As seen in Figure 14, European consumers
are most satisfied with the availability of
multiple contact options (69%) and least
pleased with the service offered by automated
systems that resolve issues (51%).
Consumers in Germany are most pleased
with performance relating to ₓAutomation₝
(67%), while French consumers are least
satisfied (59%). See Figure 15. 63% 62.2% 64.6%
66.6%
59.8% 58.8%
U.K. Netherlands Spain Germany Italy France
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Overall Consumer Satisfaction for Automation â‚€œ By Country
Figure 15
6 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
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Person instead of an automated system
Easy access person from automated menu
Multiple contact options
Easily access person while browsing website
Easy-to-use automated menu
Automated system that resolve issues
100%
90%
60%
70%
80%
50%
40%
30%
20%
Automation: Consumer Satisfaction Index
Figure 14
E
Overall grade for Automation
(6 Criteria)
62%
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 7
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
Fact vs. Fiction
Contact Centers Have a Skewed
Perception of Their Performance
The Aspect Index Europe finds that, in many
cases, there are significant differences
between consumer satisfaction and contact
center perceptions of consumer satisfaction.
For example, Figure 16 shows that
contact center managers in Europe believe
that they are meeting or exceeding consumer
expectations nearly all of the time
(97%). In contrast, only three quarters of
consumers agree (78%). Approximately
one quarter (26%) of consumers feel that
contact centers exceed their expectations,
and slightly more than half (52%) say their
expectations are met. A mere 2% of contact
center managers think they fall short
of meeting consumer expectations, while
more than one in five (22%) consumers
report that their experience falls short
of their expectations.
In addition to gaps in actual consumer
satisfaction and satisfaction as perceived
by contact centers, the Aspect Index Europe
reveals a number of gaps between the
qualities that are of primary importance
to consumers and those that contact center
managers believe matter most. These gaps
are identified in the following sections.
26%
32%
52%
65%
22%
2%
Exceeds Meets Falls Short
80%
20%
40%
60%
0%
Consumer Contact Center
Expectations for Contact Center Experience
Figure 16
Consumers and contact center professionals were asked: â‚“Did you think the service you
received/Do you think the service your customers receive usually exceed/s, meet/s, fall/s
short of the expectations (you/they) had before making contact with (the/your) company?₝
8 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
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Contact Center Perceived Satisfaction vs. Actual â‚€œ Empathy and Advocacy
Empathy and Advocacy
Figure 17 illustrates that contact centers
do not have a solid understanding of the
ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝ qualities that
consumers value most. Contact centers
think that consumers believe the following
two attributes are the most important:
1. Being friendly and courteous (14% gap)
2. Acting professionally (10% gap)
Consumers are actually most interested
in the following values:
1. Being knowledgeable and informed
(5% gap)
2. Speaking clearly and being easy to
understand (5% gap)
Consumers place a higher value on being
â‚“patient and willing to spend the time
needed to fully resolve issues₝ and a much
higher value on â‚“taking responsibility for
resolving issues₝ than contact center
managers believe they do.
As shown in Figure 18, contact center
managers believe that consumers are more
satisfied than they are when it comes to all
the qualities in the ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝
category. The largest gaps relating to satisfaction
in this area include:
1. Showing appreciation for consumersâ‚„
business (14% gap)
2. Being caring and wanting to help
(14% gap)
3. Using consistent policies and
procedures (13% gap)
4. Speaking clearly and being easy to
understand (13% gap)
Figure 18
ConsumerContact Center s
Knowledgeable and informed
Speaks clearly/easy to understand
Patient
Friendly and courteous
Takes responsibility for resolving the issue
Appreciates their business
Professional
Cares and wants to help
Understands situation
Flexible and creative
Consistent policies and procedures
Consistent with company image
Provides follow-up
100%
80%
90%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Contact Center Perceived Importance vs. Actual â‚€œ Empathy and Advocacy
Figure 17
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 9
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
Efficiency
As shown in Figure 19, when it comes to
ₓEfficiency₝-related criteria, consumers and
contact centers again disagree on the qualities
that are most valued. Contact center
managers perceive that consumers are most
interested in the â‚“ability to fully resolve
an issue in a single interaction,₝ whereas
consumers feel that the most important
qualities are:
1. Quick response to a telephone call,
email or chat (11% gap)
2. The ability to speak with a person without
a long delay (9% gap)
Consumers are much more interested
in contact centers' abilities to â‚“minimize
the amount of time holding or waiting₝
and ₓsolve issues without being transferred₝
than contact center managers believe they are.
When it comes to qualities in the
ₓEfficiency₝ category, just as with ₓEmpathy
and Advocacy,₝ contact centers believe
that consumers are more satisfied than they
actually are. See Figure 20. The following
qualities show the largest gaps between
satisfaction and perceived satisfaction:
1. The ability to resolve the issue in a
single interaction (20% gap)
2. Experiencing a clear connection
without delays or lags (19% gap)
3. Minimizing the amount of time holding
or waiting (14% gap)
Contact Center Perceived Importance vs. Actual â‚€œ Efficiency
Figure 19
ConsumerContact Centers s
Able to speak with person without long delay
Authority to solve issue themselves
Able to resolve the issue in a single interaction
Minimizing hold or wait time
Clear connection without delays or lags
Able to resolve issue without being transferred
Quickly answered phone/email/online chat
100%
80%
90%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Contact Center Perceived Satisfaction vs. Actual - Efficiency
Figure 20
10 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
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Automation
As shown in Figure 21, when it comes to
ₓAutomation,₝ contact center managers
understand the quality that consumers most
want â‚€œ to â‚“easily access a person rather
than an automated system.₝ Other highly
regarded attributes include:
1. The ability to easily access a person
from an automated menu (4% gap)
2. Multiple contact options (5% gap)
Contact center managers significantly
underestimate how much consumers want
to â‚“easily access a person while browsing
a website₝ (20% gap).
As with ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝ and
ₓEfficiency,₝ contact center managers overestimate
how well they are meeting consumer
needs as they relate to ₓAutomation.₝ See
Figure 22. The top gaps between consumer
satisfaction and perceived satisfaction exist
in the following qualities:
1. Ability to easily access a person rather
than an automated system (15% gap)
2. Ability to easily access a person from
an automated menu (9% gap)
3. Access to an automated system that
resolves issues (7% gap)
ConsumerContact Centers s
Easy access person from automated menu
Person instead of an automated system
Easy-to-use automated menu
Multiple contact options
Easily access person while browsing website
Automated system that resolve issues
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Contact Center Perceived Importance vs. Actual â‚€œ Automation
Contact Center Perceived Performance vs. Actual
Figure 21
Figure 22
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 11
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
Emerging Capabilities â‚€œ
Europe
European Consumer Satisfaction with
Emerging Capabilities
Companies today are offering consumers
a number of different options when it comes
to technological features. The Aspect Index
Europe identifies a number of capabilities
that consumers notice companies using and
outlines the features that consumers find
valuable. Contact centers can use these
emerging capabilities to increase consumer
contact options and overall satisfaction.
Consumers are relatively satisfied with
some new and emerging technological capabilities.
As shown in Figure 23, consumers
give the following features the highest
satisfaction ratings:
1. Receiving a call back after an issue is
researched (74%)
2. Agent access to a history of contact
(71%)
3. Transferring consumer data with the
call (70%)
4. Estimated wait time provided while
holding (70%)
5. Emailing (70%)
Exposure to Emerging Capabilities
As seen in Figure 24, consumers indicate
satisfaction with new and emerging technological
capabilities even when their exposure
to these options is low. Consumers have
relatively little experience with features such
as online chat, website walkthrough via
telephone or chat and emailing. However,
consumers who do experience these features
give them a satisfaction rating almost on par
with more familiar technologies.
Consumer Contact Center Satisfaction nsumer Satisfaction
Call back after issue is researched
Automatic callback
Estimated wait time
Transfer information with call
Email
History of calls available
Walk-through on website
Online chat
Voice response instead of touchtone
100%
80%
90%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Consumer Satisfaction with Emerging Capabilities
Consumer Exposure Consumer Satisfaction
Call back after research
Callback if no one is available
Estimated wait time
Transfer info with call
Emailing
Access history of contact
Website walk-through via phone/chat
Online chat
System that responds to voice
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Emerging Capabilities: Consumer Exposure vs. Satisfaction
Figure 23
Figure 24
Consumers were asked: â‚“How would you rate your satisfaction with the way various features/
emerging capabilities worked for you?₝
12 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
www.aspectindex.com ‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending
Europe Compared to
North America
Overall Findings
As in Europe, consumers in North America
are disappointed with overall contact center
performance, rating contact centers only
slightly higher (69.6%) than their European
counterparts (67%). See Figure 25.
More than three quarters of European
(78%) and North American (77%) consumers
feel that contact centers meet or exceed
their expectations, though nearly a third
of those in North America (31%) say that
contact centers exceed expectations while
only a quarter of those in Europe (26%) say
the same. Less than half of North American
consumers (46%) say contact centers meet
their expectations while more than half of
European consumers (52%) feel the same.
And, more than one in five consumers in
both regions says that their contact center
experiences fall short of expectations. See
Figure 26.
As in Europe, North American consumers
place most importance on qualities related
to ₓEmpathy and Advocacy,₝ followed
by ₓEfficiency₝ and finally ₓAutomation.₝
European and North American consumers
also rate contact centers highest for
ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝ (70% and 72%
respectively), followed by ₓEfficiency₝ (64%
and 66% respectively) and rate ₓAutomation₝
the lowest (62% and 61% respectively).
While consumers in both regions still
use the telephone as their primary method
of communication, those in Europe use email
(33%) to interact with contact centers
nearly twice as often as their North
American counterparts (18%), while North
Americans are slightly more likely to use
chat features (3%) than Europeans (2%).
See Figure 27.
69.6%
67%
North America Europe
80%
20%
40%
60%
0%
Overall Contact Center Performance â‚€œ Europe vs. North America
Figure 25
31%
26%
46%
52%
23% 22%
Exceeds Meets Falls Short
80%
20%
40%
60%
0%
North America Europe
Consumer Contact Center Interaction Expectations â‚€œ Europe vs. North America
Figure 26
Chat
North America
Email
79% Phone
18%
3%
Chat
Europe
Email
65% Phone
33%
2%
Contact Center Interaction Channels â‚€œ Europe vs. North America
Figure 27
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 13
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
Empathy and Advocacy
Across the two regions, contact centers are doing an average
job meeting consumer demands for positive human interactions,
with consumers in North America expressing slightly
more satisfaction (72%) than those in Europe (70%).
Consumers in both places cite four of the same Top Five
ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝ values as being the most important:
1. Being knowledgeable and informed
2. Speaking clearly and being easy to understand
3. Being patient â‚€œ and willing to spend the time needed to
fully resolve the issues
4. Taking responsibility for resolving issues
Consumers in Europe and North America are most satisfied
with people who display the following five â‚“Empathy and
Advocacy₝ qualities:
1. Speak clearly and are easy to understand
2. Are friendly and courteous
3. Are professional
4. Are knowledgeable and informed
5. Are patient and willing to spend the time needed
to fully resolve issues
Efficiency
When it comes to ₓEfficiency,₝ contact centers in Europe
and North America are doing a poor job satisfying consumers.
As with ₓEmpathy and Advocacy,₝ consumers in
Europe express slightly less satisfaction with ₓEfficiency₝
(64%) than their North American counterparts (66%).
Consumers in both places cite three of the same ₓTop Five₝
ₓEfficiency₝ characteristics:
1. The ability to speak with a person without a long delay
2. The ability to resolve the issue in a single interaction
3. Experiencing a clear connection without delays or lags
Consumers in Europe are most interested in how quickly
contact centers answer the phone, whereas North American
consumers place this characteristic last on their list in terms
of importance. While consumers in Europe are most satisfied
when they speak to a person that has the authority to solve
issues themselves, those in North America are pleased when
they receive a clear connection without delays.
Automation
Contact centers in Europe and North America are again
performing poorly when it comes to ₓAutomation,₝ scoring a
62% from European consumers and an even lower 61% from
North American consumers.
Consumers in both regions prefer systems that facilitate
human access, with North American consumers ranking the
following three features as the most important:
1. Ability to easily access a person from an
automated system
2. Ability to easily access a person instead of an
automated system
3. Easy-to-use automated menu
Two out of the three are the same for Europeans. They
prefer to speak with a person rather than an automated
system and they want to easily access a person from an automated
system, but they also want multiple contact options.
European and North American consumers alike express the
most satisfaction with multiple contact options and assign
the lowest satisfaction rating to automated systems that
resolve issues.
14 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
www.aspectindex.com ‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending
Fact versus Fiction
Contact Centers in Europe and North
America Overestimate Their Performance
More than three quarters of consumers in
North America (77%) and Europe (78%)
feel that contact centers are meeting or
exceeding their expectations. However,
contact centers in North America believe
they are meeting or exceeding consumer
expectations a disproportionately high
percentage of the time (90%). An even
higher percentage of contact centers in
Europe believe the same (97%).
European contact centers do have a more
realistic view of whether or not they are
exceeding expectations, saying that they
exceed expectations one third of the time
(32%) while only a quarter of consumers
(26%) say the same. On the other hand,
North American contact centers believe they
are exceeding consumer expectations half of
the time (50%), while less than a third of
consumers agree (31%). See Figure 28.
One in 10 North American contact centers
(10%) say they fall short of meeting consumer
expectations while only one in 50 European
contact centers (2%) admit the same.
Consumers in North America and Europe
report significantly higher dissatisfaction
with more than one in five consumers in
both regions reporting that the service they
receive falls short of expectations.
31%
26%
50%
32%
46%
52%
40%
65%
23% 22%
10%
2%
Exceeds Meets Falls Short
100%
20%
40%
60%
80%
0%
Europe U.S. Consumers ope Consumers U.S. Contact Centers Europe Contact Centers
Actual vs. Perceived Contact Center Expectations â‚€œ Europe vs. North America
Figure 28
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 15
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
In both regions, contact centers believe that how quickly
they answered the phone is more important than consumers
say it is, with an 11% gap in Europe and a 5% gap in North
America. European contact centers also overestimate the
importance of other ₓEfficiency₝ qualities such as:
1. Experiencing a clear connection without delays
or lags (12% gap)
2. The ability to resolve the issue in a single interaction
(14% gap)
When it comes to qualities in the ₓEfficiency₝ category,
just as with ₓEmpathy and Advocacy,₝ contact centers believe
that consumers are more satisfied than they actually are.
The following qualities show the largest gaps between satisfaction
and perceived satisfaction:
1. The ability to speak with a person without a long delay
(North America)
2. The ability to resolve the issue in a single interaction
(Europe)
Automation
North American and European contact centers underestimate
how strongly consumers feel about easily accessing a person
from an automated menu (12% gap in North America) or
while browsing a website (20% gap in Europe).
Meanwhile, consumers in North America place slightly less
importance than contact center managers believe they do on
automated systems that resolve issues (3% gap).
As with ₓEmpathy and Advocacy₝ and ₓEfficiency,₝ contact
center managers overestimate how well they are meeting
consumer needs as they relate to ₓAutomation.₝ The top gap
between consumer satisfaction and perceived satisfaction
is found in the consumer's ability to easily access a person
rather than an automated system. This is true for both North
America and Europe (15% gap).
Empathy and Advocacy
North American contact centers have a slightly better understanding
of the qualities that consumers value than their
European counterparts. The widest disparities in North
America exist in criteria such as patience (10% gap) and
speaking clearly and intelligibly (9% gap), where consumers
appreciate these qualities more than contact centers believe
they do. The largest discrepancy in Europe relates to taking
responsibility for resolving issues with contact centers, rating
this quality less important (7% gap) than consumers.
On the other hand, North American contact centers
perceive criteria such as ₓconsistent company image₝ (6%
gap) and ₓproviding follow-up to make sure issue is resolved₝
(6% gap) as more important than consumers report.
European contact centers believe that consumers value
ₓfriendliness and courteousness₝ (14% gap), ₓappreciating
their business₝ (15% gap) and ₓconsistent with company
image₝ (27% gap) more than they do.
Contact center managers in both North America and
Europe believe that consumers are more satisfied than they
are when it comes to all the qualities in the â‚“Empathy and
Advocacy₝ category. The most critical gaps relating to satisfaction
in this area include:
1. Being friendly and courteous (North America)
2. Speaking clearly and being easy to understand (Europe)
Efficiency
The gaps in the importance of ₓEfficiency₝-related criteria are
larger in Europe than they are in North America. In Europe,
contact centers underestimate the importance of minimizing
waiting times for consumers (11% gap) and being able to
resolve an issue without being transferred (6%). In North
America, the largest differences exist in experiencing a clear
connection without delays or lags (10% gap), the ability to
easily access a person (9% gap) and authority to resolve
issues (9%).
16 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
www.aspectindex.com ‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending
The data contained in the Aspect Index Europe can help
forward-thinking business and operational leaders understand
what they are doing well and what opportunities they
have to improve in the eyes of their consumers. While raising
consumer expectations is more likely to be a long-term task
than a short-term fix, contact centers that take on this
challenge will ultimately see the rewards in terms of
increased brand loyalty as well as market share.
Opportunities for Operational Managers
Through the Aspect Index Europe, consumers are providing
a rather detailed roadmap to help contact centers drastically
enhance interactions. In recognition that consumers
value a knowledgeable and informed agent â‚€œ more so than
other attributes â‚€œ leading contact centers are bolstering the
education of their staff and using tools to ensure the effectiveness
of that education. These centers are implementing
smaller agent-to-supervisor ratios, they are giving more
day-to-day coaching via quality management tools, and
they are improving agent skills evaluation and better utilizing
the skills in contact routing and overall staffing management.
It is clear that, above and beyond all else, consumers
want to communicate with other people and they want to
feel valued, respected and appreciated. This can be
achieved by:
â‚¢ Employing skilled agents who can effectively communicate
with consumers. Now more than ever, agents
should be considered as a virtual pool. The properly
skilled agents can be recruited and located in one central
geographic location, dispersed in multiple contact
centers on one continent or around the world or ₓvirtually₝
working from their homes using technologies such
as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
â‚¢ Increasing ongoing online and in-person agent training
to ensure that employees are knowledgeable about and
confident with the company and the subjects they are
addressing. The use of quality management evaluations
as an integral part of the coaching process can
also provide valuable feedback to both poor and good
performers.
â‚¢ Enhancing contact routing so that the right agents are
receiving the right inquiries more quickly through
correctly managing the various interaction volume and
types (e.g. billing, service, account management, sales)
against the available agent skills.
The Aspect Software Perspective
While there is no shortage of news stories detailing
consumers' unhappy experiences with contact centers, it is
still startling to see quantitative proof benchmarking how
low consumers' expectations of contact centers are at the
outset. On average, consumers surveyed said they expected
contact centers to have ₓSignificant Shortcomings.₝ Based
on these findings, European business leaders must ask
themselves some tough questions â‚€œ â‚“Is this really the
contact center experience I set out to create?₝ and after
years of negative consumer experiences â‚“Is it already too
late to turn things around?₝
Thankfully, the answer is no, it is not too late. In this
study, European consumers have provided unbiased opinions
about the contact centers with which they conduct
business and the result is a groundbreaking accumulation of
truthful and valuable information which contact centers can
use to get to the root cause of consumer dissatisfaction and
disillusionment with contact centers.
Operational managers and business leaders alike should
take heart in the knowledge that in the eyes of the consumer,
every interaction counts. Every interaction â‚€œ whether by
phone, email or chat â‚€œ can have a significant impact on
consumer satisfaction. So much so that when consumers
were asked about their intentions to stay with or change
providers, two percent (2%) of respondents planning to
change providers before the interaction reported a change
of heart after the interaction. In effect, with just one excellent
contact center interaction, these consumers were
converted from unhappy customers into happy ones.
Of course, there is always the other school of thought
that says it can be beneficial to keep consumers' expectations
low in order to ensure that their expectations are
always exceeded. This is a risky stance to take and could
potentially be very costly as well.
Why? Just as every excellent contact center interaction
can win over an unhappy customer, a bad interaction can
put happy customers at risk. Four percent (4%) of the
happy consumers surveyed in this study reported that their
last contact center interaction had been so negative, they
were now thinking about changing providers. Can you
afford to put 4% of the consumers that contact you at risk?
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 17
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
â‚¢ Improving contact center scheduling so that consumers
are able to speak with agents without long delays
and so that agents can spend more time resolving
complex issues. Workforce management tools can
help contact centers more accurately forecast and plan,
ensuring the right number of agents with the right skills
are in place across all locations. Also, empowering
agents to manage their own schedules leads to a more
satisfied workforce.
Opportunities for Business Leaders
From one perspective, the results of the Aspect Index
Europe are discouraging. It is the intent of each organization
to satisfy their customer's demands. As a business leader,
knowing that your organization's efforts may be falling
short, sometimes dramatically so, is rightly concerning. But,
from another perspective, the results of the Aspect Index
Europe point towards an opportunity for differentiation
against your competitors in an area where the bar is low.
Improving consumer satisfaction, though, requires investment;
investment in people, in the manner in which people
work and in technology. The challenge is to enhance
consumer satisfaction while keeping costs in control. The
Aspect Index Europe provides a guide to where best to
make those investments in order to make the biggest
impact to consumer satisfaction.
Outsourcing, for example, is seen as one tool to reduce
contact center costs. Today, according to research from the
Aspect Index Europe, one in five European contact centers
outsource some of their contact center operations (22%)
while a small number (5%) say that they do not currently,
but plan to outsource in the future. Mindful of the high
importance consumers place on interacting with agents
who speak clearly and are easy to understand, leading
European contact centers that do outsource tend to select
near shore or onshore outsourcers. Moreover, these contact
centers demand strict accountability from their outsourcers.
Utilization of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) for contact
routing and contact escalation to second tier agents, workforce
management tools that consider all staff including
outsourced staff, and near real-time agent performance
management tools are all capabilities you can deploy to
ensure consumer demands are not neglected.
Consumer self-service applications â‚€œ including speech
self service â‚€œ is another area where businesses are drawn to
potential cost savings. Again, the Aspect Index Europe
provides guidance. After all, there are many consumers who
prefer the privacy, security and after hours coverage that
self-service applications offer. Consumers, however, are
asking for a seamlessly integrated blend of self service and
live service for those occasions when an agent is necessary
to complete the inquiry.
Business leaders should also not miss the relatively easy
to implement opportunities that the Aspect Index Europe
highlights. Capabilities such as providing an estimated wait
time to callers, offering a callback after a query has been
researched, or making consumers more aware of an existing
email or chat channel are all areas that will improve
consumer satisfaction.
Lastly, aligning a business, from senior management
through to agents on the frontline, is an evolving focus.
Goals such as revenue growth and productivity improvements
can increasingly be translated into contact center
goals well beyond the traditional measures of service levels
or handle times. Leading organizations are empowering
agents with intra-hour key performance indicators against
the company goals that allow them to better manage their
own performance, ultimately supporting the top level goals.
Conclusion
As the Aspect Index Europe shows, in aggregate, businesses
are disappointing their consumers at the first point
of contact. While this may be an indictment, it is also an
opportunity. It is time for the industry to reduce the
consumer-to-contact center perception gap and take a
sober look at consumer expectations.
Using this objective, independent evaluation of consumer
expectations and satisfaction levels as well as contact
center perceptions, forward-thinking European companies
can move from a state of sub-par service to one of content
consumers. Aspect Software believes that the time is now,
and companies that seize this opportunity will reap considerable
rewards.
18 The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report
www.aspectindex.com ‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending
Methodology
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index Europe
employed quantitative studies with consumers, contact
center managers and corporate executives to uncover
perspectives on consumer satisfaction with contact center
performance. The research methodology conducted by
independent research firm Leo J. Shapiro & Associates LLC
was developed in two phases:
Phase 1. Quantitative Study with Consumers
â‚¢ A cross-section of consumers was interviewed using
online methods to ensure capturing the views of a wide
range of contact center users. Consumers were interviewed
about their overall satisfaction with contact
centers, as well as their assessment of the various
elements of their experience with contact centers.
â‚¢ 1,000 interviews were completed with consumers,
producing a survey sample with an overall confidence
level of +/-3%
Phase 2. Quantitative Study with Contact Center
Managers and Corporate Executives
â‚¢ A cross-section of professionals involved in contact center
management was recruited to take part in this industry
study.
â‚¢ A total of 150 professionals across six European countries
â‚€œ France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain
and the United Kingdom â‚€œ were interviewed using
phone and online methods. All of those interviewed
were contact center managers, directors or executives.
â‚¢ The types of contact center functions covered include:
- Customer Service
- Inbound Sales
â‚¢ The types of industries covered a broad range, but focus
primarily on the three major ones below:
- Finance/Banking/Insurance
- Telecommunications
- Retail
Participants
Consumers
cross-section
Contact Center
managers,
directors,
executives
1000 interviews via online
- measured overall satisfaction with contact centers
and most important elements of interaction to them
150 interviews via phone and online
- Measured managersâ‚„ perceptions of consumersâ‚„ experiences
of contact center interactions and planned investment
- finance/banking/insurance, telecom and retail focus
Methodology
Figure 29
The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index„¢ Europe Executive Report 19
‚© 2006 Aspect Software, Inc. Patent Pending www.aspectindex.com
Aspect Software
Corporate Headquarters
6 Technology Park Drive
Westford, MA 01886
978 952 0200
978 952 0201 fax
www.aspect.com
Aspect Software, The Aspect Contact Center Satisfaction Index and the
Aspect Index are trademarks of Aspect Software Inc.; all other trademarks
or trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Why Did Aspect Software Commission this Research?
Aspect Software believes technology deployments must
satisfy three basic objectives:
1. To meet or exceed consumer expectations, particularly
in those areas that are most important for consumers
2. To help companies build and enhance customer
relationships
3. To streamline operations
Unfortunately, in the rush to streamline operations and
contain costs, many organizations are forgetting that the
contact center is ultimately about human contact. While
the contact center industry has invested substantially in
sophisticated technologies to improve and optimize customer
interactions, all too often these tools have become a barrier
to personal interaction, rather than a facilitator.
As the balance of power is shifting from businesses to
consumers, contact center professionals will benefit from
insight on consumer expectations and desires related to their
phone and online transactions. Aspect Software believes the
Aspect Index provides practical, objective insight companies
can use to close the gap between consumer expectation and
experience. For more information, visit www.aspectindex.com.
About Aspect Software
Aspect Software, which pioneered the contact center industry,
is the only company 100 percent focused on providing proven,
innovative products and services that enable key business
processes including customer service, collections and sales
and telemarketing for in-house and outsourced contact
centers. Each day, companies around the globe conduct
more than 125 million customer interactions using Aspect
Software solutions for automatic call distribution (ACD),
predictive dialing, workforce management, analytics, IVR
and multi-channel contact. Headquartered in Westford,
Mass., Aspect Software has operations across the Americas,
Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific. For more information, visit
www.aspect.com.