Business customer service study: 79% of messages received by SMS or WhatsApp are read, compared to 32% of emails

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In an effort to understand the state of customer service for businesses post-pandemic, Esendex , one of Europe’s leading mobile communications companies, surveyed 5,000 consumers worldwide, including 500 in France. In France, 26% of respondents had contacted a customer service team in the last three days, compared to 41% internationally.


Complaints from the French mainly concern questions about delivery, orders, exchanges or refunds. For companies, being able to deliver the right answer in record time is essential, and to do this, it is better to use messaging platforms or SMS, read by 79% of French respondents, compared to only 32% for emails.

Half of French people contact customer services regarding delivery or ordering
According to the study conducted by Esendex, 5 out of 10 French customers contact a company for a question or update on delivery or order. 26% to exchange a product or get a refund, 19% for more information and 17% for a payment problem. The most requested sectors of activity this year are telecommunications, finance, insurance, and retail.


Globally, the most commonly cited reasons for customer service complaints pakistan whatsapp list are delivery queries or updates (33%), orders, and refund/exchange requests. Billing issues are also cited, with 22% of respondents contacting customer service for a payment-related query, or simply needing more information in general.

“Our research revealed that speed of response is the number one thing customers consider most important when contacting a business. After the holiday season, customer service departments should expect an increase in requests. Teams need to prepare for this,” explains Cécile Coullet, Marketing Team Lead France at Esendex.

33% of French people consider that a wait of more than five hours takes too long
Globally, 68% of respondents say they have spoken to someone about at least one negative customer service experience in the past month, compared to 46% in France. Among the biggest frustrations shoppers have when contacting customer support, the study highlights the service being unhelpful and failing to resolve the issue or taking too long to respond. Having to go through multiple people is also highlighted, with 35% preferring to handle an issue themselves without the need for direct human contact. Lack of knowledge from staff and repeated explanations are also cited, as well as being treated like a number rather than a human being.



In our ultra-connected world, many customers expect responsive service. The study conducted by Esendex shows that 33% of French people consider that a wait of more than five hours takes too long for a response, which highlights the demand to be proactive and available. Therefore, responding in real time on a customer's preferred platform and in a personalized way enhances and humanizes the brand image. Here again, one of the simplest ways to achieve this remains the use of mobile messaging applications, as evidenced by this study which reveals that in France, 79% of messages received by SMS or WhatsApp are read, compared to 32% by email.