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We all know the frustration of calling a call center, only to be put on hold for an endless period of time or to go through a long and complex series of options before reaching a dead end. And when someone finally answers us, it is usually a struggle for the language barrier or we are told to call back later - all this while we must pay an exorbitant fee for the call itself.

A survey among ISO members suggests that the general public, for the most part, is only slightly satisfied with customer contact centers, indicating that there is much room for improvement in that service. It is for this reason that two new International Standards on the subject have been published.

ISO 18295-1, Customer contact centers - Part 1: Requirements for customer contact centers, specifically best practices for all contact centers, whether internal or outsourced, in a number of areas to ensure A high level of service. These include communication with customers, handling complaints and employee engagement.

Complementing this, ISO 18295-2, Customer contact centers - Part 2: Requirements for customers using the services of customer contact centers, is aimed at those organizations that use the services of a customer contact center to ensure that the expectations of its customers are met, through their effective commitment. Provides guidance on the types of information that the organization must provide to achieve high levels of customer engagement.

Zainuddin Hussein, president of ISO / PC 273, the ISO 18295 project committee, said he considered and addressed many customer concerns in developing standards, such as waiting times, means of contacting the company and customer experience expectations.

"The committee established that there are some national regulations and standards present in some countries," he said, "and our research showed that where they were implemented, customer satisfaction improved."

"The new standards meet the best international practices that can further improve the offer of services and customer experience, while providing a framework on which future national standards can be based."

ISO 18295-1 and ISO 18295-2 were developed by the ISO / PC 273 project committee, Customer contact centers, whose secretariat is in charge of SABS, ISO member for South Africa.

Original article: https://www.iso.org/news/ref2205.html Katie Bird Head, Communication ISO