Sounds like an episode of "Fawlty Towers," doesn't it?

A recent survey conducted by GMI and commissioned by European IP communications provider Wicom Communications found cultural differences in end user attitudes towards and experiences with call centers in the UK and Germany. The survey was conducted this month (February, 2007) among 1,000 end users in Germany and the UK.

When asked for the motive/reasons behind calls to customer support centers, answers across both countries were consistent. Around 73 percent of respondents in both countries contacted a call center typically for general inquiries. "It may be a cliché, however the results reflect some of the cultural differences between the two countries. On average Germans tend to grab the phone more often to complain while Brits are more hesitant," commented Stephan Bahr, Sales Director of Wicom Communications for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Only 36 percent of British said they called a call center to raise a complaint while almost half of all respondents in Germany frequently called to complain.

The conclusions could be taken in a number of snarky directions, but in the interest of international peace and harmony, I won't go there. Won't! Go! There!

For more info about the survey, visit www.wicom.com.

TES