Attitudes Towards Call Centres

New MORI research for Citizen's Advice shows that use of call centres in the UK is now pervasive as four in five (79%) respondents have used a call centre in the past 12 months.

Call centres operated by financial institutions and utilities companies are the most widely used services; around half the public have recently contacted each (56% and 45% respectively), while around a quarter have used the call centres of government agencies (27%) and retailers (24%) in the past year.

Perceived standards of service in call centres are polarised and a significant minority of users are dissatisfied with the services they receive. Satisfaction tends to be highest with those call centres operated by industries traditionally committed to delivering good customer service: retailers' call centres generate highest satisfaction, while call centres operated by utilities companies are seen to be least customer-friendly (67% and 49% of customers satisfied respectively).

When prompted, almost all call centre users (97%) have some criticisms of their experiences. Half of all callers (51%) find prolonged hold periods one of the most annoying aspects of using call centres. Being routed through complicated response systems and presented with lots of automated options are another common complaint (38%).

Questions were placed on the MORI Omnibus, the regular MORI survey among the general public. A nationally representative quota sample of 2,253 adults (aged 15 or over) was interviewed throughout Great Britain by MORI between 8th and 13th July, 2004. Interviews were conducted face to face, in respondents' homes, using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing).

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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