An alarming 83% of Britons have been negatively affected by being unable to find contact details from a business website, according to research released by web host 1&1 Internet Ltd. Half of consumers (52%) have felt angry or stressed, and 1 in 5 (22%) admitted to feeling powerless and desperate by the problem. Struggling to find a means to contact a business from its website was the number one customer service gripe for 77% of Britons.
Real-time live dialogue with businesses using live-chat, forums or call-me-back facilities is in high demand, with 90% of consumers wanting this type of communication, and 1 in 3 requiring it from the UK businesses they currently use. In contrast, a further survey of 260 British firms showed that 92% did not currently provide these facilities on their websites and 42% had no plans to do so in the future.
A lack of clear contact information such as address and telephone numbers on a business website has elicited a negative emotional response from 83% of consumers, ranging from irritation (63%), anger in half of consumers (52%), powerless and desperation (22%) and even violence in two per cent. 'Facilities for contacting a business' is the biggest concern for users of business websites, after the ability to navigate a website.
Britons are becoming increasingly keen on real-time live dialogue via the web. The survey found that the average person uses live chat and instant messenger tools three times a month, with one in three people chatting socially or at work in real-time more than 20 times per month. Such demand for live online dialogue is clearly influencing consumer behaviour, with 90 per cent of those surveyed wishing they could use live dialogue with businesses they use via their websites. Indeed, 42 per cent said that where available, this would be their preferred method of contact with a business.
Some 35% or people surveyed currently expect real-time support forums to be offered, and 1 in 3 (34%) require a call-me-back facility to be available. The absence of such facilities can have a clear effect on a business's image with 41% of consumers likely to form a more negative opinion and 29% expecting to spend less money as a result. 1&1 Internet also canvassed 260 UK businesses on their attitudes towards real-time online customer support. In sharp contrast, of the businesses surveyed, 1 in 3 did not believe their customers would be interested in such communication and 44% thought that there was no link between online customer support and sales revenue.
Andreas Gauger, CEO of 1&1 Internet, said: "Our research clearly shows that struggling to contact a business from its website is a major cause of concern for consumers. More of us than ever are using real-time online messaging in our everyday lives and consumers now place a high value on the ability to talk to businesses in this way."
