Telephone skills training 'improves sales opportunities'

Investing in telephone skills training would improve online sales opportunities for many financial services providers, it has been suggested.

Research commissioned by Surrey-based call centre specialist Rostrym Solutions reveals just 14 per cent of firms facilitate adequate communication between staff and customers.

Mystery shoppers investigated the websites of 100 financial services providers and concluded there is a significant lack in the "availability and reliability" of contact between call centre agents and online visitors.

Barclays, Cheltenham & Gloucester and the Woolwich came out on top in the mortgage sector for their personalised telephone services, while Scottish Widows, Fairfax Life and Pensions and Royal Bank of Scotland were praised for their professionalism among personal pensions providers.

Loan providers and the motor and home insurance sector fared less well in analysis of their telephone communication.

Rostrvm Solutions' Ken Reid said "there is plenty of evidence" that, although consumers research financial services products online, as many as 64 per cent still prefer to purchase by phone.

"If consumers want to engage with a human representative, why not make it easy for them?" he added.

According to the University of London's Dr Max Blumberg, a customer management strategist, consumers increasingly regard the telephone skills and service of organisations to be "a key differentiator", alongside product and price.