Complaints from customers rarely come out of nowhere. When the same issues occur repeatedly, they signal deeper problems that demand attention, be it with systems, service quality, or internal operations. Ignoring them risks more than just temporary frustration: it can erode customer trust and lead to long-term attrition.
Customer expectations set the bar, and call centers are on the front line. A poor experience can damage sales, brand perception, and long-term revenue. Consistently delivering high-quality support that effectively resolves customer problems is foundational to business performance.
To help you stay ahead, we’ve outlined some of the most common customer service complaints in the call center along with actionable solutions.
A poor call center experience can seriously damage brand loyalty. When customers experience long wait times, struggle to reach a human agent, or are met with unhelpful chatbots and constant transfers between departments, they start to lose trust. Even if your product works well, poor service leaves a bad impression that lingers. Customers begin to question the company’s overall reliability, and it’s not long before they start exploring other options.
Brand loyalty is built on consistent positive interactions. If customers feel ignored or disrespected during support calls, they won’t hesitate to share their experience with others. According to a survey by Dimensional Research, 50% of customers share a negative customer experience on social media rather than a positive one. Similarly, 95% of customers tell others about their terrible customer service experience rather than what satisfies them. To keep your customers loyal, you need to make every service interaction count. That means training agents on how to handle customer complaints in call center and treat each caller like they matter—because they do.
Do not let common issues hinder your progress! Below are examples of customer complaints and solutions that will help you deal with issues effectively and promptly. Issues are listed in no particular order, as virtually any of them can impact your brand perception and willingness to repeat transactions.
When customers call, this means they’re already dealing with a problem. Leaving them on hold only makes things worse. If their call is not answered timely, they become more impatient and annoyed. During high-demand periods like sales events, product launches, or seasonal increase in call volume, this issue gets worse.
It is no secret that customers feel low priority if they are answered late. 60% of customers think that even one minute of hold is too long. Therefore, you should avoid keeping customers on hold for a long time, which is, in fact, the most common issue customers face.
Manage call volume proactively. Staff up during peak hours and expected surges, and use historical data to anticipate demand. For simple requests like order status or account info, automate contact center operations, using automation to speed up service. If the root problem is insufficient staff for multilingual support, consider applying a customer support translator to handle requests in multiple languages without adding extra headcount. This will ensure faster response times for all customers, regardless of language.
Companies should aim to solve customers' issues on the first call to reduce customer frustration. If a customer calls you repeatedly for one problem, it will look odd. The customer will likely not consider it a positive experience, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction and cause you to lose customers.
Your team may not have the bandwidth to deliver attention to each inquiry it deserves. One solution is to reduce your agents’ workload by smartly incorporating AI chatbots. If that’s not an option, train your agents to respond to more queries in less time. They don’t need to rush, but they do need to work smartly. Plus, make sure to have a comprehensive customer knowledge base in place. This is intended to help customers find solutions to their issues before seeking help.
AI fatigue wasn’t an issue merely a couple of years ago. However, it can potentially become one of the most common customer complaints as more and more companies rush to implement AI, aiming for speed and efficiency. But in doing so, some go too far, replacing human interaction entirely. Customers end up stuck in rigid automated flows, unable to explain their issue or get a clear answer. It feels like talking to a wall. In a March 2024 survey, 81% of respondents said they would rather wait to speak to a live agent than deal with AI right away. This shows a clear disconnect between what companies prioritize and what customers actually want.
Balance is key. Use AI to handle basic requests, but give customers an easy and fast way to reach a human when needed. Clearly label options and skip the endless menus. Add a “talk to a person” prompt early in the flow. Customers should feel supported, not stuck—and that requires real human help when it matters.
This customer concern easily ranks among the most frustrating: being passed from one agent to another without resolution. Each transfer often means starting from scratch, repeating the same issue, explaining the same context, and rehashing the same details. It also sends the wrong message: that the brand isn’t listening, or worse, doesn’t care enough to coordinate internally. Over time, these experiences erode trust and drive customers away because the journey to a solution was unnecessarily painful.
Simply Contact helps eliminate that friction. Our trained agents resolve issues effectively from the first touchpoint, improving service quality and customer confidence.
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Make knowledge transfer seamless. Agents should document the conversation as it happens, capturing the context and steps already taken. With proper tools and real-time logging, the next agent can review this information before taking over. The result is a smoother experience that values the customer’s time and shows that the company operates as one team, not a disjointed relay.
Customer satisfaction drops about 15% when a customer contacts an organization to resolve their initial inquiry. In other words, if a customer needs to contact a call center three times to get the query resolved, their Customer satisfaction is 30% lower on average than the call center that settles the question on the first contact.
No matter what, you need to make customer satisfaction the company's top priority. You can conduct surveys (for example, NPS, CSAT, and customer satisfaction surveys). But don’t conduct surveys for the sake of conducting them: be ready to act upon the results. Use customers' feedback and improve to give customers what they want.
Customers don’t just notice when agents are slow, but they notice when they’re inexperienced. This makes high agent turnover one of the unobvious yet significant examples of customer complaints (or more accurately, reasons for complaining). When call centers have high staff turnover, new agents constantly learn on the job. That leads to repeated explanations, dropped issues, and answers that feel scripted or incomplete. Over time, this erodes customer trust and causes complaints. According to the Quality Assurance and Training Connection (QATC), turnover in call centers ranges from 30% to 45%. That’s a revolving door that affects employee morale and customer satisfaction.
Offer a working environment that prioritizes employee engagement to reduce the attrition rate. In an environment that cares about employees, agents will be less likely to leave. A rewarding culture will indirectly but inevitably help with customer retention.
Done poorly, personalization efforts can backfire. 76% of consumers expect personalized interactions, yet in call centers, surface-level personalization can do more harm than good. Customers call in with real problems; when agents greet them by name but offer irrelevant solutions, it feels insincere. A telecom subscriber might be offered a “loyalty discount” that doesn’t reflect their current plan. Or reporting a technical problem, and the agent references a service the customer canceled months ago. Scripted empathy and outdated data only add to the frustration. Customers notice when personalization is just a checkbox, and they complain because the experience doesn’t feel responsive.
In the call center, relevance matters more than familiarity. Before starting to think about how to handle a customer service complaint related to personalization, make sure whether personalization makes the interaction smoother or more effective in the first place. What if it’s not needed at all? Real value comes from timely context, like knowing what the customer last called about, or which product they’re currently using. Use data to reduce friction, not to force familiarity. That’s what makes customers feel heard and understood.
Customers often get stuck navigating annoying IVR menus that make them listen to repetitive instructions or enter multiple digits just to reach an agent. This experience frustrates callers and can lead them to hang up. A study by American Express found that 67% of customers have ended calls because they couldn’t connect with a live person.
An example of customer complaint and resolution in this case would be simplifying your call center IVR to minimize unnecessary steps and make it easier to reach an agent quickly. Alternatively, consider an Intelligent Virtual Assistant (IVA) to handle common requests with natural language understanding and direct calls efficiently. Above all, prioritize easy access to real human support, as customers value swift, personal assistance.
An unprofessional customer agent can be a significant threat to a company. Agents directly deal with customers, so their behavior, training, attitude, and knowledge matter greatly. If customer service representatives are dealing with a product, they must understand it thoroughly so they can answer the customers' every query on time.
A customer agent needs to be aware of every ins and outs of the product, regardless of whether it is a coffee maker, game console, or software package.
A company must provide thorough training on products, policies, and procedures to ensure agents can answer questions quickly and accurately. Ongoing training keeps their skills sharp and professionalism consistent. Well-prepared agents create positive customer experiences and protect the company’s reputation.
Improving the call center experience starts with listening to what customers complain about most and fixing it. Long wait times, being passed from agent to agent, robotic automation, or surface-level personalization aren’t just annoyances; they push people away. We hope our selection of customer complaints and solutions will empower you to turn challenges into opportunities for lasting loyalty.
These issues can be avoided with the right setup, smart processes, and a team experienced in handling customer service complaints. When support feels easy and human, customers notice. They stay loyal when they feel heard and helped.
Customers most often complain about long wait times and inefficient handling of their issues. Being placed on hold, transferred repeatedly, or stuck in rigid automated systems creates frustration and signals poor service.
Track customer satisfaction scores like CSAT and NPS alongside first-call resolution rates. Monitor call volume related to repeat issues and listen to direct feedback for real insights.
The short answer is no. Chatbots can handle simple queries, but customers want quick access to real humans for complex issues. Balance automation with personalized human support to avoid frustration.
Identify root causes behind their issues and ensure agents have full context to resolve problems promptly. Clear communication and follow-up prevent repeated contacts and build trust.
Improved complaint handling boosts customer loyalty and reduces churn, directly impacting revenue. It lowers operational costs by cutting repeat calls and strengthening your brand reputation.
At Simply Contact, we don’t just take calls—we improve experiences. By solving the issues behind frequent customer complaints, we help you build loyalty, reduce churn, and deliver exceptional service.
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