Toronto, ON – December 6, 2017 – Onholdwith.com, the website that scans Twitter for complaints about waiting on hold, today released its annual list of hold time offenders. The website, launched by Fonolo, collected 800,000 tweets containing the phrase “on hold with” from the social networking site, Twitter. The data reveals that consumers most frequently report waiting on hold with companies from the airline (30%) and telecommunication (40%) industries. Shipping, retail, and banking enterprises are also named in the report.
In 2016, Apple was cited as the worst company to call and, though they are no longer in the top spot, the company continues to maintain a prominent place on the list. This year, Delta Airlines experienced a number of IT outages and flight cancellations, helping to secure its position as the worst company to call in 2017. The list of reported offenders includes:
- Delta Airlines
- Verizon
- Southwest Airlines
- Comcast
- Apple
- Bank of America
- USPS
- AT&T
- United Airlines
- Sprint
According to the 2017 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), airlines remain in the bottom one-third of industries for customer experience. Specifically, airline call center satisfaction is one of the lowest ranked in the industry. The ACSI explains that this is a lost opportunity for airlines, “Passengers who complain report much lower customer loyalty compared to the industry average; however, if complaints are handled perfectly, their loyalty improves tremendously.” The ACSI also reports that call center satisfaction is the lowest ranked customer experience benchmark across the telecommunications industry.
“It’s no surprise that hold time complaints correlate with call center satisfaction scores in these industries,” said Daniela Puzzo, Marketing Director, Fonolo. “Since customers view the voice channel as the most effective method for resolving issues, companies need to put more effort into improving the experience, or risk high customer churn.”
To see real-time statistics from customers on hold, visit onholdwith.com/stats or, if you’re an organization that aims to improve the voice channel experience, see how Fonolo’s call-back solutions can help.
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About Fonolo
Fonolo, the leader in cloud-based call-back solutions, has revolutionized the way contact centers interact with customers through web, mobile, and voice. The company’s patented call-back technology empowers customers with an innovative alternative to waiting on hold. Fonolo’s award-winning solutions are trusted by a growing list of call centers who aim to enhance the customer experience. From Fortune 500 companies to SMBs, Fonolo is valued by customers for its scalability, expertise, and proven ROI.
Visit fonolo.com to learn how your call center can reduce abandonment rates, smooth out call volume spikes, and lower costs.