Sharp increase

The web is becoming a primary customer service channel for businesses including travel as more consumers shop and access information online, according to research by software company Transversal.
The company predicts that travel will hit a major peak in the first half of 2007 as holiday makers increasingly research and buy online. Figures from Continental Research recently found that 17 million Britons will buy part of their main holiday online, with 21 million using the Internet for research. These figures highlight the growing customer acceptance of automated, online customer service systems, allowing businesses to benefit from service advantages, cost savings and better management of seasonal customer service peaks, according to Transversal.
The company’s Web Self-Service Index highlights a “sharp increase” in the number of consumers asking questions through web self-service systems to obtain customer service information. The amount of customers turning to this channel for faster responses to questions has risen 224% from 2004 to 2006 in the quest to avoid calling or emailing contact centres, according to the company.
The trend continued between 2005 and 2006 with the amount of questions asked using web self-service more than doubling.