We Like to Talk with People on the Phone
You would think in this digital age that we all would prefer to use an email to have our issues resolved. New research by Verint indicates that people still prefer to “speak to someone on the phone.” The human element is not dead.
In fact, the survey found that if people had a good experience with a human (in person or on the phone) they were more likely to renew their product or service (even if it isn’t the cheapest), more likely to sign up for loyalty programs and more likely to leave a positive review.
For a number of situations, from answering simple questions/requests to asking questions about a bill, the first preference was for a real person on the phone. Emails were first for “giving positive feedback.”
For more simple situations, electronic channels were preferred, but the more complex the task, the more likely the preference was for a real person on the phone. The study indicated that digital customers wanted customer service to be more intuitive and faster. But the surprising result was that 83% believe that speaking to a customer service rep on the phone will “always be important.”
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle. After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant. He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.” Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.” One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College. Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board. Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.
