analysis Business
article with business category -week in review
A recent report found that Singaporeans spent more than 30 million hours on hold with customer service last year. With banks and telcos often receiving high call volumes, CNA's Vanessa Lim spoke to companies in the two industries to find out what is going on.
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According to a report by American software company ServiceNow, Singaporeans spent more than 30 million hours on hold with customer service last year.
The inaugural study, which surveyed 1,030 Singaporeans aged 18 and above earlier this year, found that the average person in Singapore spent 16.1 hours - approximately two full working days - on hold last year. This worked out to an estimated S$1.24 billion in wages lost due to slow and poor service.
It found that 60 per cent of customers are frustrated at having to repeat their issues to multiple people, while 53 per cent are frustrated at being transferred to multiple people and departments.
42 per cent of customers cited waiting on hold as a driver of poor experience and 39 per cent said they were frustrated at waiting for someone to get back.
Among targets of frustration are local telecommunication companies and banks, with some people taking to social media to complain about their customer service.
Associate Professor Sarah Cheah from NUS Business School’s department of management and organisation said the two industries can be subjected to more criticism due to their frequent contact with customers and the nature of calls.
