Being forced to repeat yourself has been crowned the nation’s biggest bugbear – with Brits being driven up the wall parroting the same questions to partner, kids and pals.
More than half (60%) say they’re regularly forced to repeat themselves daily, with nearly all (92%) unsurprisingly finding it frustrating.
An aggrieved one-fifth of folk (21%) admit it’s one of their biggest bugbears, with serial repeaters wishing they never had to ask more than once (95%).
Vodafone quizzed the nation and unearthed the requests that rile Brits up on repeat on a daily basis – revealing we’re a nation stuck on repeat.
Asking a partner to do their share of the housework more than once irked 20% of people surveyed.
A third (30%) of parents revealed they were sick of trying to get their kids to bed on time (30%) getting them to do their homework (24%), or brush their teeth (18%).
Continually reminding friends about plans (12%), asking someone to transfer money (12%) and asking a colleague the same question (13%) also feature highly on Brits’ list of annoying repeat requests.
Reminding a housemate to take the bins out again (17%), telling the kids to brush their teeth for the third time (18%), or chasing that colleague one more time (27%), new research from Vodafone reveals that we’re a nation stuck on repeat.
While household and relationship-related asks rate highly, the research found it’s customer service that really pushes Brits to their repetitive limit.
When faced with a product or service-related problem where contact with customer service is needed, most Brits (87%) had to explain their issue more than once.
On average, exasperated consumers are having to repeat issues up to four times and spend more than 15 minutes on hold.
If this isn’t enough to grind someone’s gears they’re having to send four messages to a chatbot, get timed out, start again twice and be passed around three different agents.
Remembering special passwords (41%), the tricky ‘first pet’ question (36%), old usernames (30%) having to finding old account numbers (32%) and order numbers (28%) are all added pressures that test our patience along the way.
In its ambition to set a new standard for customer service in the industry, Vodafone has launched ‘Just Ask Once’.
It’s a new service that will see one person deal with a customer’s query from start to finish, until it’s sorted.
This removes well-known bug bears such as waiting on hold, repeating the problem to multiple different people, and the need to chase for an update.
If the query can’t be resolved straight away, the same person from Vodafone will proactively message the customer with updates until it’s solved, so they aren’t left worrying or wondering what is going on or spending time chasing.
Rob Winterschladen, Consumer Director, VodafoneThree said: “We all know the frustration of having to ask more than once.
“Whether it’s at work, home or when dealing with customer service – repeating ourselves is annoying.
“More than half of the nation find repeating themselves to customer service frustrating, and for a fifth, it’s even their biggest bugbear.
“Our new ‘Just Ask Once’ promise is based on a simple principle. When a customer needs help, they ask us once and we’ll sort it.
“By messaging through the MyVodafone app, just like you would a friend on WhatsApp, you’ll get your own dedicated problem solver and proactive updates.
“So there’s no repeating yourself or waiting around on your phone – you can just get on with your day.”
Partnering with Vodafone, psychologist Jo Hemmings reveals that repeating fatigue is real and why we find it so irritating to ask simple things more than once.
Jo said: “Having to repeat ourselves, especially over something simple, can feel incredibly frustrating because it signals that we’re not being valued or heard.
“The proof is there, Vodafone’s research shows that 95% of us wish we didn’t have to ask the same thing more than once.
“This taps into the basic human psychological need for recognition and autonomy, which are both key drivers for day-to-day motivation and mental wellbeing.
“Feeling ignored or being asked to start from scratch repeatedly creates what’s known as cognitive overload, where mental energy is drained.
“Whether it’s with loved ones, friends, colleagues or even customer service, it can produce emotional fatigue and can even trigger avoidance behaviours.
“Over time, it’s not just inconvenient, it’s also stressful and disempowering.”
Customers who don’t want to contact Vodafone customer service using the My Vodafone app can still get help by calling 191 on their mobile or through the website: https://www.vodafone.co.uk/
TOP 16 THINGS BRITS ARE MOST FED-UP OF REPEATING MORE THAN ONCE
– Issues to multiple customer service representatives
– Answering the same question from customer service
– Chasing people to reply to a message or email
– Asking for an update once you have flagged an issue or problem with a service or product
– Making general complaints to customer service
– Asking someone to do their share of the housework
– Asking someone to transfer money
– Having to ask a colleague the same question over and over
– Repeating a food or drink order
– Having to ask someone to take the bins out
– Continually reminding friends about plans
– Having to chase a colleague
– Having to ask your kids more than once to go to bed
– Asking the kids to brush their teeth
– Telling the kids to do their homework
– Prompting partner to put the washing on or take it out