Who calls Directory Enquiries these days?
In August of 2011 we conducted a survey to find out about the people who call Directory Enquiries (118 numbers). We were quite surprised with the results.
According to the response 1 in 4 people in the UK called a Directory Enquiry service in the last year. From those that called a Directory Enquiry Service in the last year we asked them to complete a survey about their usage.
A key finding is that over 55% of callers call Directory Enquiries at least once a month and just over 22% call once a week.
As an alternative to ringing Directory Enquiries to find a number people use:
- Online Search Engine (29%)
- Phone Book (25%)
- Online Directory Enquiry (18%)
- Mobile Internet Search (15%)
- Mobile App (13%)
It is surprising to see that mobile apps didn’t feature higher as perhaps expected – it could be an indication that app fatigue has set in for search apps.
The gender breakdown of people calling is 54% women and 46% men with majority of calls being made from home (45%). Interestingly 37% of all calls are made in a car or out-and-about while only 18% came from the workplace. Another finding of the demographic is that 62% of callers that completed the survey are under the age of 40.
2011 has seen a huge shift in number of smartphones in the market and this is reflected in the survey results with 59% of mobile calls now coming from smartphones. The breakdown of types of smartphones is also interesting showing Android (36%) as the number one platform followed by iPhone (28%), BlackBerry (27%) and Nokia in fourth (9%).
When asked what would encourage them to call more often – the top two responses were lower call rates and Directory Enquiries providing additional content like Address, Opening Hours, Map, Web & Email address of the requested business.
Survey conducted online (August 2011) by Survey Sampling International Ltd. on behalf of Cauwill Technologies.
For more information and solutions for Directory Enquiry/Assistance providers please visit www.cauwill.com/dadq