On The Line vs Online

11 May On The Line vs Online

With the myriad of communication options available these days including Whatsapp, Messenger, Slack and online forms, you may be surprised to learn that the telephone is still a preferred method of getting in touch for business.

Your call

A leading Broadband provider recently released the results of a poll which showed that 49.3% of respondents (1,116 customers) preferred to receive customer service and support by telephone rather than by messenging or online chat.

Respondents stated a number of reasons for their preference including speed of response, reliability and, the human factor – even in 2018, when they have an issue that needs to be resolved, people like to feel that they’re connecting with an actual human being rather than a bot.

 Give us a bell

Alexander Graham Bell’s pet project has come a long way since its inception in 1885 and, judging by figures including the new survey, it’s time is, by no means, over.  From clunky and complex switchboards to shiny, sleek Smartphones, the telephone is still the business – and a lucrative one, at that.  The latest figures show that a whopping 93% of adults in the UK own and use a mobile phone on a daily basis.

Someone is typing

We’ve all experienced the frustration of watching the minutes tick by while we wait for the new message from a help provider, only to receive, “Hello, are you still there?”  It’s said that, on invention of his telephone, the first words successfully spoken on it by Alexander Graham Bell himself were, “Watson, come here – I need you,”  a message which required an immediate response – which is why Bell invented the telephone in the first place   A huge number of companies worldwide recognise the fact that, when experiencing a problem with a game, software, utility or access, people want answers – and they want them fast.  Without access to telephone support, many people would find themselves unable to reach the next game level or watch the latest show on Netflix but, in other cases, such as the emergency services, it could mean, literally, the difference between life and death.

Hot line

In this highly competitive age, employers need to ensure that the staff that they employ to provide telephone support are knowledgeable, efficient and skilled in the art of effective communication.

The BTEC Diploma in Competence For IT & Telecoms Professionals is designed for those already employed within the telecoms sector and it`s BTEC Certificates and Diplomas in ICT Systems and Principles that is benchmark of skills that is nationally recognised.

For any company serious about customer support, making sure that telephone support staff are trained and qualified is paramount – after all, in many cases, this is the first – and sometimes only – contact that a customer will have with a company or organisation and, as we all know, first impressions count!