Callers are still frustrated by sitting on hold, with call waiting times emerging as the top grip in a new survey of customer service annoyances.

The UK report by IT company nGenera CIM, found that 66% or respondents were still annoyed by contact centre queues, while 52% complained of a lack of contact information on companies' websites. Some 94% said they would look for a competitor if they received poor customer service from a firm.

The study also found that calling a contact centre was the preferred way to get in touch with companies offering online sales for only 19% or respondents. "Customer service landscape is changing," said nGenera's Matthew Haines, adding that organisations can use web self-service and email. "By establishing these channels, businesses can reduce strain on the contact centre, increase agent productivity, reduce costs and ensure consistency and accuracy of messages.pt-time"