The personal service an individual receives from a call center can leave that person feeling happier than when they experience online customer service, according to recent reports from ServiceTick.

ServiceTick, a company that finds a way to provide immediate feedback from customers to companies, monitors customer satisfaction and NPS scores for brands using both online and IVR surveys. Recently, the company analyzed data compiled from more than 150,000 surveys and discovered when a call agent completes an IVR survey at the end of the conversation, the customer satisfaction (CSAT) and NPS scores are consistently higher. Conversely, scores from Web-generated surveys produce lower scores. On average CSAT scores were 22 percentage points higher and NPS scores were 69 points higher when generated by IVR surveys, according to recent reports.

 “We’ve looked at data over a sufficient period of time and a significant number of surveys and the evidence is there,” Thomas Cowper Johnson, former director of brand at Norwich Union and now a director at ServiceTick said. “Customers are more satisfied and more likely to recommend a brand when they have had human contact with a call agent. We’ve all experienced the frustration of a web process that doesn’t work but with that we have no way of sorting things out. A professional call agent can respond to issues and sort out problems on the spot, leaving the customer happier.”

In related news, a prison call center is currently answering tourism phone calls in Raleigh, N.C. When one calls 1-800-VISIT-NC hoping to learn what the state of North Carolina has to offer as a vacation destination, the women at the call center that let them know about the hotspot are serving 15 years to life in the maximum security women’s prison in Raleigh.

 “The call center here at the Women's prison is a great example of a state program that helps save the taxpayers’ money,” explained Margo Metzger, public relations manager for North Carolina Division of Tourism. “It's also providing information to travelers who are interested in coming to North Carolina and spending their money.”