This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Whether you’re heading to a new restaurant on the other side of town or taking a road trip across the country, a GPS helps get you there. Gone are the days of combing through maps, taking notes and picking what you think is the best route—only to be blindsided by traffic delays and detours. But a GPS needs precise guidance before starting out. You wouldn’t want to get halfway to Springfield, Missouri when you intended to go to Springfield, Massachusetts.
The contact center environment can be hectic—you probably have don’t have much time or patience for a third-party outsourcer telling you how to “transform” your call center operations. Right? You’re thinking: “Give me a break. I’m hard-pressed just to staff the third shift, much less transform it.” I get it, having run brick-and-mortar call centers […].
The text of this article originally appeared on the ICMI blog on December 5, 2018. Click here to read the original and click here to watch a video where I discuss the content of this article. Hint: Focus on Agent Performance. If you’ve sat through any customer service technology demos or walked the showroom floor at an industry conference, you’ve undoubtedly heard well-meaning sales folks speak of innovation, disruption, and automation.
Customer Experience as an industry is at a crossroads. As I have written before , the results that we should be seeing are not there. It’s time to put up or shut up. If we as an industry do not turn it around, we might see our budgets and headcounts reassigned somewhere else. In our recent podcast, we had a guest Bob Thompson, CEO of Customer Think Corp., an independent research and publishing firm focused on customer-centric business management and the founder and editor-in-chief of CustomerTh
AI adoption is reshaping sales and marketing. But is it delivering real results? We surveyed 1,000+ GTM professionals to find out. The data is clear: AI users report 47% higher productivity and an average of 12 hours saved per week. But leaders say mainstream AI tools still fall short on accuracy and business impact. Download the full report today to see how AI is being used — and where go-to-market professionals think there are gaps and opportunities.
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. This is the day where we send our spouses, partners, and loved ones a gift. Often it is out of obligation. I have plenty of friends who tell me if they don’t get their spouse some flowers and a card, they will pay for it. So we feel obligated to express our love and appreciation to those close to us. I’ve written several articles about this before, and my favorite one is called The Valentine Obligation.
The Contact Center Virtual Summit is a 3-week contact center event and the world’s largest virtual contact center conference. Taking place from May 19 th through June 2 nd , this event features a focus on frontline agent performance during the entire contact center agent life cycle. If you’re a solution provider that has solutions that are used on the frontline or improvise the performance of the frontline, then I’d like to give you the opportunity to put forward your solution or case study to p
Sign up to get articles personalized to your interests!
Customer Contact Central brings together the best content for Contact Center and Customer Service professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
The Contact Center Virtual Summit is a 3-week contact center event and the world’s largest virtual contact center conference. Taking place from May 19 th through June 2 nd , this event features a focus on frontline agent performance during the entire contact center agent life cycle. If you’re a solution provider that has solutions that are used on the frontline or improvise the performance of the frontline, then I’d like to give you the opportunity to put forward your solution or case study to p
When your customer furiously tears in, not letting you pinch in so much as “um hmmm,” regain control using the Snatch and Flip technique. Here’s what you do. 1. Listen (Try to be fully present, listening without annoyance.). 2. Identify the subject that has hacked the customer off. (This tends to be the thing they bring up repeatedly.). 3.
While celebrating my daughter’s 20th birthday at a local steak restaurant – yes, the chicken finger & fries meals are a thing of the past, I was reminded that great service and experience doesn’t happen by accident. There must be a series of steps planned for and actions taken to allow for great service. Here is my list of 5 things you need to know about great service.
Organizations cannot afford to be operationally driven. A Customer Experience focus is a necessity of survival in today’s hyper-competitive and disrupted retail market. That said, not every organization realizes this fact yet, which I find disappointing. I was talking to the C-Suite of a retailer (who shall remain nameless) about Customer Experience.
What does customer service excellence look like in 2024? According to our report with insights from CX expert Shep Hyken, customer expectations are at an all-time high, and there’s a bigger shift toward self-service and leveraging AI capabilities.
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure and honor of being the keynote presentation for River Valley Bank, soon to be Incredible Bank , as they merge the names of their brick-and-mortar banks and their online bank. I love that word, incredible , almost as much as my favorite word, amazing. If someone told you the customer service at a bank was incredible, you would only think positive things.
I’m cursed. Are you? For years I fell into a trap that I see many in the contact center industry fall in to. It’s the trap of managing workflow for efficiency. I need to be careful not to manage queues of interactions because that’s how it’s always been done. My reality check is to remember, those are people in queue. Not efficiency metrics or channels to be managed.
Inflammatory words and an aggressive tone heat up an interaction like an oven heats up a room. The five biggest mistakes I see customer service professionals make when talking to upset customers are: Aggressive tone – A direct or authoritative tone will quickly lead to an escalation in aggression or to a supervisor. Making threats – Spitting off, “Calm down or I can’t help you” will assuredly not make a customer calm down.
Last week, Brittany Naylor (Vice President of Customer Support for Service Direct) queued up a wonderful topic in our CX Accelerator slack channel. It was "Next Issue Avoidance" and how support leaders are bringing this critical concept to life. For those not familiar, the idea of "Next Issue Avoidance" was introduced as part of "The Effortless Experience " in 2011.
Start building the AI workforce of the future with our comprehensive guide to creating an AI-first contact center. Learn how Conversational and Generative AI can transform traditional operations into scalable, efficient, and customer-centric experiences. What is AI-First? Transition from outdated, human-first strategies to an AI-driven approach that enhances customer engagement and operational efficiency.
There is a big challenge when measuring customer emotions as you are asking customers how they felt in an experience, as this is done retrospectively, a while after they had the experience. Many times, Customers don’t remember how they felt or, for several reasons, they don’t want to tell you. Using technology, you can now measure customer’s emotions in real time!
I’m honored to be the keynote speaker later this year at Office Pride , a franchisor of commercial cleaning service companies. All of the franchisees will be attending their annual meeting to network and learn about the latest and greatest opportunities happening in their industry. My job is to talk to them about customer service. As part of my homework, Todd Hopkins, their CEO, shared the Office Pride Culture book.
Flexibility is often an innocently misunderstood element in the contact center technology evaluation criteria. Afterall, unless you’re evaluating and implementing a wide-array of contact center technology as part of your everyday job, it’s just impossible to keep up with. But you can’t ignore this issue, or else you’ll be tearing apart and ripping out your new technology as quickly as you’ve put it in.
Harness the True Power of your Contact Center In today’s fast-paced business environment, selecting the right contact center solution is critical for enhancing customer experience, improving operational efficiency, and optimizing costs. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the essential factors to consider when choosing a contact center software that aligns with your business needs.
If you say “because” when you’re telling a customer something, you’ll significantly increase the chance that they’ll accept your word as final. Here’s Why Saying “Because” Works. Research by psychologist Ellen Langer found that saying “because,” and then tossing out a reason as insignificant as a discarded rubber band, got people to agree.
VSA searched for a single contact center platform that would eliminate the inefficiencies created by using various CRM systems and dialer capabilities not at all suited for a unique client this company needed to support. With the existing systems, VSA would have been developing manual and time-consuming work-around processes.
Using artificial intelligence to evaluate and understand past contact center conversations shows businesses what to expect and gives them the opportunity to be proactive in the future.
Organizations do not have the luxury of focusing solely on operations these days. Over the past decade, retail as an industry has changed. To survive, retailers must put the customer at the center of everything they do. That said, not everyone believes it yet. <!–more–> Not so long ago, I was having a conversation in the C-Suite of a company about Customer Experience.
With IT budgets projected to grow 9.8% in 2025, leaders must invest wisely—not just cut blindly. This whitepaper introduces The Future-Proof IT Cost Optimization Model, a framework to reduce costs while maintaining service quality. Learn how Cloud Efficiency, AI-Powered Workforce Automation, Vendor Optimization, Cybersecurity Resilience, and Unified Communications can drive savings and improve efficiency.
This week we feature an article by Stacy Sherman who reminds us that brands must not compete on price alone and shares a great story to illustrate this point from Stacy’s Pita Chips. – Shep Hyken. My obsession for Customer Experience (CX) started when I received a package in the mail on a random afternoon. I was not anticipating the delivery of a large box with a label that said, “ To Stacy, From Stacy.
80% of contact center agents leave because of their relationship with their immediate supervisor. But with all relationships, it’s much better to give first – so that you shall receive. Follow these tips for building a better relationship with your Supervisor. She’ll likely love you for it! Your Supervisor today is like that elementary school teacher that you are still in touch with and will most likely be in touch with for the rest of your life.
If 2018 was a year when customer experience professionals came under intense pressure to map out tangible results from heavy investment, 2019 is shaping up to be the year when next generation customer experience will deliver on the promise of a wide range of new technologies. Three key drivers are at the core of this. ROI is fundamental, as C-suite executives at leading service providers demand measurable returns from their outlay.
Ready, willing and able is a self-explanatory idiom that describes an enthusiastic, well-prepared and eager response to change. Changes are abundant as we continue to move from 20th century approaches to the 21st in contact center management, infrastructure and technology. All indicators are contact centers must get serious about digital readiness that supports access to […].
Step-by-step instructions on how to use AI for growth in your contact center Learn how AI can transform your contact center operations. In this ebook, dig into the different AI technologies, then see how each can help automate tasks, streamline service, and turn your contact center from a cost center to a profit house. Plus, we’ll give you practical tips on choosing the right AI tools, getting them up and running, and measuring their impact.
A call center employees job is not easy. But through technology, training and supportive management, employee engagement can thrive leading to a better customer experience.
Beyond Philosophy won an award named one of the Best Management Consultancy Firms in the UK, by the Financial Times (FT). This was voted on by clients and peers, we couldn’t be more honored or proud. This bonus episode podcast explores how you can take your idea and turn it into an Financial Times Award-Winning consultancy, too. We share our 10-Step Plan for Success and ask our listeners, what would you do if you weren’t afraid?
When it comes to taking care of customers, sometimes people go a little further than expected. When asked why, they often say, “It was the right thing to do.” There’s no incentive other than the desire to care for someone else. In a sense, that is what customer service is about. While we may be paid to do a job, sometimes doing something that is not required – and therefore not expected – is what the next level of a good customer service experience is all about.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 34,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
85 
Let's personalize your content