giffgaff™ – Social Media Newsroom

Call centre queues to blame as the nation’s patience snaps

The orderly queue has long been regarded as a cornerstone of British culture, yet new research released today has identified a ‘wait time tipping point’ when the nation’s patience with waiting in line expires. SIM-only mobile network giffgaff has found that when faced with a queue, the average Brit will wait just seven minutes before tempers start to flare.

When the tipping point is reached can depend on the type of queue, with the research showing that Brits lose their patience after:

• Six minutes waiting in a call centre queue
• Six and a half minutes at the supermarket checkout
• Eight minutes waiting for help with a technical problem
• 11 minutes waiting for public transport
• 13 minutes waiting for service in a restaurant

And the impact on companies with poor customer service is proving damaging:

• Four in five people (79%) have lost their patience and hung up when faced with a long call centre queue
• 69% have had their opinion of a company or service permanently damaged after poor customer service
• Half (50%) of people have advised family and friends against a company or service that they’ve had a bad experience with
• A quarter (24%) have terminated a contract with a company or service that has kept them waiting too long

But slow service is harming more than the reputations of those companies at fault. giffgaff found that when the wait time tipping point is reached, Britain’s health is also at stake, as frustration is fuelled and stress levels are sent skyward. More than two-thirds of people (67%) admit to feeling annoyed and 30% experience stress when they’re forced to wait longer that they feel fair, with one in five (19%) becoming angry and 16% feeling that their custom simply isn’t valued.

Stress expert and GP Dr Roger Henderson said:

‘We live in an age where for many people; time is the most valuable commodity of all. giffgaff’s research has found an increasing unwillingness to wait in queues, a phenomenon I call ‘speed greed’ that reflects our growing demand for instant gratification and access to information and service. Although it is part of human nature to rarely be satisfied with what he have in life, our expectations are now such that if we do not get the service we expect very quickly, our stress levels increase quickly and significantly.

‘When stress levels rise, a range of health problems can begin to develop, including high blood pressure, chronic anxiety, headaches, stomach and bowel upsets, as well as relationship difficulties. When waiting in queues this stress can manifest as a racing heartbeat, sweaty palms, irritability, anger, frustration and muscle spasms.’

The research singles out call centre queues as the most frustrating everyday situation. Half of Brits (51%) have recently become agitated during calls to customer service centres.  One of the nation’s biggest bugbears is the hold music many companies pipe down by the wires; 64% of callers said this adds to their irritation. ‘Lift music’ is the most unpopular with 55% of Brits, closely followed by panpipes (51%), classical music (41%) and sounds from nature (40%).

Geography also plays a part in determining exactly when our patience with call centre queues snaps. Scots are the least patient, willing to sit on hold for just five minutes. Callers in the east of England, Yorkshire and the West Country reach the tipping point at five and a half minutes, whereas the most patient people are in the North East; they will wait on hold for an average of seven minutes.

Robbie Hearn, Head of Member Experience of giffgaff said:  

‘Six minutes waiting in a call centre queue is enough to make anyone’s blood boil; especially if you don’t get the right answer when you do eventually get through. In 2011 call centre staff are simply overwhelmed by the amount of stuff they need to know, from thousands of pricing options to millions of apps.

‘Our model is completely different, our online customer service includes access to our enormously knowledgeable online community. They answer other customers’ queries, on average, within 90 seconds 24 hours a day, and in turn they gain rewards. This model works better than traditional customer service functions because instead of putting our customers in touch with one person who needs to be an expert in 20,000 things, we put them in touch with 20,000 people who love being experts in one thing!”

Focusing on mobile operators specifically, giffgaff’s research found that Brits have little faith in their chosen service provider, especially when it comes to resolving queries. Three in five (59%) of people don’t feel confident that their mobile phone provider will solve their problem or query. Confidence dips most among Tesco Mobile customers, where only 30% feel confident their query will be resolved. Talkmobile (35%) and Vodafone (38%) also fail to inspire confidence in their customers.

For more information on giffgaff – the community led mobile network, visit www.giffgaff.com