MUMBAI, India, March 17, 2008 – Are Indian consumers being underestimated when it comes to customer service? A new survey conducted in India by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, an Alcatel-Lucent Company (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), revealed that more than 79 percent of consumers want to communicate with companies via email and over 41 percent want to interact using SMS.

The survey, which was conducted online with 504 consumers from across Índia, revealed that nearly 50 percent of customers stated their experience with a contact center is a key factor in building customer loyalty, while 38 percent stated they would stop doing business with a company due to poor contact center experience.

In addition, 79 percent of customers said they would continue doing business with a company based on a great contact center experience and 26 percent would do so even if it meant paying a higher than average price.

Surprisingly, 97 percent of the consumers Genesys surveyed want companies to give them information about additional products and services that may benefit them, while 93 percent want to receive proactive communications via the telephone, email and/or SMS.

The survey, which was designed to measure consumers likes, dislikes and frustrations with contact centers and automated customer service systems, was commissioned by Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. Its findings indicate that, while investments in technology and self-service are starting to pay off, consumers increasingly want better multi-channel services through SMS, e-mail and other new media, and their contact center experience plays a major role in their overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The Biggest Causes of Customer Frustration in India
In 2003, Genesys pioneered a study in analyzing customer frustration issues and followed it each year with a global survey report. Genesys’ survey report in India is the first national survey conducted by the company in India. Some of the key customer frustration issues in India are:

Long hold times – 57 percent are frustrated with long hold times and 91 percent would prefer receiving a call back in 10 minutes than to be placed on hold for the same length of time

Poor automation - 37 percent of consumers are frustrated by IVRs with too many or incorrect options

Customer Repetition - 43 percent are frustrated by having to repeat information they already provided

"India is one of the most challenging markets for companies to gain long-term customer loyalty and we expect it will only become more challenging in the future," said Jason Stirling, Vice President, Genesys, Australia, New Zealand and India. “As the world market becomes more competitive, the most successful companies are the ones making the best use of every channel and every customer interaction to drive customer loyalty and increases sales by agents."

Providing the local India perspective, Genesys Managing Director for India, Shamsheer Ahmed noted, "Successful companies must leverage every opportunity to connect and engage with their customers to create a positive experience. This survey clearly highlights the fact that Indian customers are extremely web and mobile savvy, and as a result, companies need to redesign their customer service approach by integrating mobile, web and email communications, as well as advanced self-service, to deliver the next generation customer experience these customers want.”