Consumers Currently Report Longer Waiting Periods and Hold Times for Customer Service Phone Calls

(SANEPR.com) March 16, 2009 -- London, England, March 12, 2009- According to statistics gathered, the duration of hold times experienced by customers have dramatically increased since 2005. Customers are dissatisfied with their overall experiences when it comes to calling all businesses including their insurance companies.

According to online insurance firm Swiftcover.com, 91% of UK callers are dissatisfied with the overall length of time they wait to speak to a representative at a call centre. In contrast, a similar survey in 2005 showed that 81% of callers were dissatisfied with wait times.

Insurance news website NoClaimsDiscount (http://www.noclaimsdiscount.co.uk/news) has received feedback from angry customers who complain customer service calls have also become extremely expensive. Often individuals calling about insurance can spend upward of £50 waiting to speak to someone to manage a single claim. More than half of insurers use 0845 and 0870 numbers for customer service lines, which cost from 1p to 7p per minute. These hold costs can mount up fast and only a small percentage of insurance companies offer callers “call back” service for those put on hold.

Additionally, many UK customers are complaining about the fact that frequently call centers have been moved to India in order for companies to spend less money on employees. UK customers have reported that they are unsatisfied with the service they receive from these new Indian call centers with the communication problems contribution to the length of some calls.

Insurance companies have been reducing costs by getting rid of employees, and encouraging customers to handle customer service transactions online. Even large conglomerate insurance companies offer discounts and incentives for customers who switch to online customer service.

ABOUT NoClaimsDiscount.co.uk- NCD News covers insurance related news aimed at both the industry and consumers, providing a balanced look at developments that could affect it's readership. You can find more information on the insurers covered in this article at http://www.noclaimsdiscount.co.uk/insurance