The usage of email, chat and social media for interacting with companies is an increasing trend but phone-based communication is not declining and, despite the variety of channels available, customers still rely heavily on the telephone. The data comes from a survey to 7,000 consumers in seven countries that aimed to to find out more about the gap between consumer expectations and what shoppers experience in the real world.

According to the survey customers demand that brands offer support through a variety of channels but still consider the phone to be the failsafe one: when an email goes unanswered 71% of customers would then call, if social media goes unanswered 55% would call and if a phone call does not get an answer 54% would try to call again.

The omnichannel shopper has an impatient nature: according to the research, 64% of respondents expect real-time assistance regardless of which service channel they use. But expectations are even higher for voice systems: 59% of respondents expected an answer within 30 minutes of contacting by phone, while 75% are willing to wait as much as one day for resolution after sending an email.

The popularity of voice as a customer service channel is still incomparable, but chat is also getting quite popular: chat adoption among customers raised from 30% in 2009 to 43% in 2012.  Offering an omnichannel solution like Whisbi that combines a normal phone call with an interactive online experience like chat, voice and video is a good idea in a time when 71% of consumers say that respecting their time is the most important thing a company can do to provide them with good service.