Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI Customer service calls on hold resulted in a massive $55 billion loss in output, a report revealed on July 31.
An average person spends more than one day each year on hold to address an issue or complaint (30.7 hours), according to new research from the AI platform ServiceNow.
Slow service solutions mean the average employee is spending 3.9 days to resolve each customer issue, the report noted. “Indian businesses are at risk of losing two-thirds of their customer base in 2024 due to slow service solutions,” said Sumeet Mathur, SVP and Managing Director, ServiceNow India Technology and Business Centre.
Structural problems are pushing wait times further with 48 per cent of Indians identifying inefficient internal communication as a major issue for customer service delays, while 47 per cent say customer service staff lack decision-making power.
About 66 per cent of respondents said they would consider switching to another company if their issue is not resolved within three working days.
“Businesses that can’t meet that standard must act, installing AI-powered self-service options available at the consumers’ fingertips,” Mathur added.
