Myra Golden Media

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

Questions are a double-edged sword for customer service professionals. You have to ask questions to get to the root of the problem, log issues, and in general, to help customers. But, often a series of questions can sound like an interview. If we aren’t careful, back to back questions can come across as an interrogation. Years ago, when I managed a small call center, I realized that my team had to ask our customers seven questions.

Call Center 360

Call Center Customer Service Customer Experience Management 360

Beyond Philosophy

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

Many companies seeking to improve their Customer Experience (CX) understand the importance of putting the customer at the center of everything they do. Doing it, however, flummoxes them. Not all companies have this problem though. Those that have excellent experiences, the kind that makes their brand name a household one, demonstrate actual customer-centricity in their CX.

Customer centricity 400

Customer centricity Consulting Consulting Customer Experience 400

Contact Center Pipeline

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Contact center leaders often express dissatisfaction with their current technology. They think that if they’d just implement some new technology, they’d be primed to achieve their business goals. Yet many centers have substantial opportunities to optimize efficiency and improve the customer experience by getting more out of what they already have. One of the most […].

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Contact Center Technology Customer Experience Call Center 357

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

“It’s Showtime!” Those are typically the words you hear right before hitting the stage or when the cameras start to roll in the studio. However, for John Lewis , a high-end retail department store in the UK, the retail floor is the stage and the employees are the actors. John Lewis is providing 322 employees , whom they refer to as “partners,” acting lessons at The Oxford Playhouse to help “teach them the art of outstanding service.

Scripts 252

Scripts Personalization Customer Service Customer Experience 252

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Preparing for impactful coaching sessions shouldn't be a bottleneck to success. "Innovation Insight: Coaching Tech to Boost Customer Service Performance" from Gartner shows practical ways to turn this around. In the research, Gartner found that “customer service and support supervisors, who are responsible for coaching, often lack availability and only spend an average of 30% of their time on it.” 1 We believe this valuable resource offers an objective look at how technology can facilitate more

Customer Service

Steve DiGioia

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

…no wonder why customer service is so bad – my rant! This original article was written by Steve DiGioia. We have turned into a group of inconsiderate, rude, thoughtless, disrespectful and egocentric miserable people. The worst traits of one’s personality show when presented with a “great deal” on a TV, toaster oven or pair of sneakers. Surely, Black Friday shopping brings out the worst in us.

Sales 223

Sales Personalization Customer Service Management 223

Callminer

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

For all of the benefits of using marketing analytics, many companies and senior marketing executives continue to struggle with implementing marketing analytics and using analytics tools effectively.

Analytics 182

Analytics Marketing 182

ShepHyken

DECEMBER 1, 2017

This week we feature an article by Stephanie Jones about the importance of human interaction in the customer service world. While bots are helpful in many ways, the human touch is still so imperative, and so craved by the customer. – Shep Hyken. Robots are cool. I watched “The Jetson’s” as a kid and was obsessed with all the tasks robots handled. George could get showered and dressed with one robot.

outsourcing 203

outsourcing Answering services Personalization Accountability 203

Fonolo

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

Since the inception of the voice channel, businesses have faced and overcome many obstacles to improve the experience for customers. Yet, this channel continues to be the bane of many customers’ existence. Are businesses not sick of hearing the same complaints over and over again? Are consumers not tired of complaining about the same things? If your call center still makes customers cringe when they dial into support, it’s time to take action.

Interactive Voice Response 194

Interactive Voice Response Call Center Contact Center Metrics 194

Contact Center Pipeline

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

Skills-based Routing (SBR) is a feature found on any ACD today, and it’s been around for over 30 years. It is so common, in fact, that it’s become an afterthought when purchasing a contact center phone system: Auto attendant? Check. On-hold messaging? Check. Skills-based routing? Check. Hold on a second. That checkmark next to SBR […].

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Contact Center Call flow Service level Call Center 178

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This comprehensive report explores the evolving landscape of customer and business expectations, with five key trends that will help you understand your customers and stay ahead of the competition. Discover how your peers are implementing AI to improve customer experience with granular insights into their CX investments and specific AI use cases. For the first time, customers prefer digital channels when interacting with a business.

Customer Experience

Call Center Weekly

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

What is the most important role of the Chief Customer Officer? In my mind, there three important areas for the Chief Customer Officer to focus on: culture, systems and customer advocacy. When it comes to the culture, either the company is completely customer focused or it’s not. That begins with culture. It’s how employees are hired and trained, and how the vision or mission is created or changed to reflect a customer-focused philosophy.

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Chief Customer Officer Customer advocacy Feedback Customer Service 149

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

The Seven Deadly Sins of Customer Experience. Shep Hyken Interviews Jeff Nicholson, Customer Engagement Thought Leader. Jeff Nicholson enlightens listeners to what he refers to as T he S even D eadly S ins of the C ustomer E xperience J ourney. He shares the importance of understanding what customers need, meeting those needs, and the best methods of delivering it to them. .

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CRM Best practices Analytics Marketing 194

Customer Service Life

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

It’s always a privilege to be able to contribute to articles on various blogs and there have been a number of such contributions lately. Here’s a quick rundown of some recent articles you might want to check out. 37 Tips To Improve Call Quality Monitoring In Your Call Center. This is a terrific collection of ways to improve quality for any customer service team.

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Contact Center Call Center Customer Service Customer Support 93

CSM Magazine

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

My mother always said, “To end well, you must begin well.” Of course, she was talking about how you separated clothes for the washing machine or how you chose vegetables at the market. But it’s also true when it comes to creating a resilient, sustainable workforce. The questions you ask in the recruiting phase will help both you and a potential employee determine if you have the right fit for your organization.

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Consulting Consulting Enterprise Marketing 80

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Call Center Weekly

DECEMBER 1, 2017

By Sean Hawkins I woke up late and was pressed for time. All I wanted to do was get into the office at a decent hour! As I was preparing myself for work, one of my team members sent a text with a breakfast request. This is not an unusual request, and I really enjoy doing this from time to time. The way I see it, the investment will pay for itself. So, I guess I'll be getting breakfast on the way to work!

Government 143

Government Contact Center Consulting Consulting 143

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

Each week I read a number of customer service articles from various online resources. Here are my top five picks from last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think too. A 4-Step Formula to Create Freakishly Loyal Customers by Josh Linkner. (Josh Linkner) In our transactional world of fickle customers, how do we snag the prize?

Customer Service 192

Customer Service Surveys Customer Experience 192

Customer Service Life

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

Yay for episode #39. In this one we welcome Debi Mongan , Founder of The Mindful Call Center. This one is an absolute treat because Debi is a total expert when it comes to mindfulness and emotional intelligence. These concepts and skills can make a huge difference in contact centers and in the lives of agents. Tune in and be inspired. Here are the questions for the episode: Icebreaker Question: How do you incorporate mindfulness into your daily life, especially around the crazy holiday season?

Contact Center 92

Contact Center Call Center Customer Support Customer Service 92

Aspect

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Every year, Deloitte releases an annual survey designed to gather insight from the rapidly evolving contact center landscape, offering leaders from within the industry greater knowledge and actionable intelligence into the trends that will impact their operations in the years to come. This year’s survey brought in leaders from more than 450 contact centers from around the world.

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Contact Center Surveys Contact center software contact center solutions 91

Speaker: Nicholas Zeisler, CX Strategist & Fractional CXO

The first step in a successful Customer Experience endeavor (or for that matter, any business proposition) is to find out what’s wrong. If you can’t identify it, you can’t fix it! 💡 That’s where the Voice of the Customer (VoC) comes in. Today, far too many brands do VoC simply because that’s what they think they’re supposed to do; that’s what all their competitors do.

Customer Experience

VocalCom

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

As customers continue to seek quick and effortless experiences on the go, social media channels shine as prime platforms for communication. The rise in smartphone use coupled with the explosive popularity of social platforms has transformed customer service expectations, as brands must engage better and faster than ever before. Those that pay attention reap the rewards: According to Convince and Convert, answering social media complaints increases customer advocacy by as much as 25%.

Customer Service 91

Customer Service Contact center software Customer advocacy Contact Center 91

aircall

DECEMBER 1, 2017

Not enough people talk about the consequences of a good NPS score. I mean, have you even considered the kind of attention that success could attract? First, you’ll have to serve a constant stream of new customers referred by your advocates. Next, you’ll have to accept invites to industry events and deliver captivating keynotes. Then, you’ll have to eat lavish dinners with financiers who want fund or buy your business.

Construction 90

Construction Feedback Upselling Surveys 90

Andrew Mcfarland

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

The Temkin Group recently released a report about the different emotional responses customers have (by age group) after receiving technical support for their computer. This report is important because it: (1) addresses the difference between intentional and accidental experiences, (2).

Customer Experience 90

Customer Experience Technical Support 90

The Center for Client Retention

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Most executives talk about improving the customer experience—even of creating the quintessential customer experience—but too few walk the talk when it comes to developing and implementing strategies, policies, and training initiatives that can truly make a difference. Some exceptional firms are going all-out and competition dictates others will either catch up or fade away.

Customer Experience 85

Customer Experience Entertainment Technology Banking 85

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Contact Center

Omnicus

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

What is a chatbot? A chatbot is a service that automates your interactions with your audience and customers. By using rules or even artificial intelligence to some degree, it lets you interact with your customers in a highly efficient manner. The chatbot service is available in applications like Facebook Messenger, SMS, Slack, Skype, etc. Why should you use a chatbot?

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Chatbots Customer Service 72

Aspect

DECEMBER 1, 2017

We’re all familiar with the proverb, “the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” It is thought to have originated with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who, back around 1150 AD wrote, “L’enfer est plein de bonnes volontés ou désirs, ” which means Hell is full of good wishes or desires. Another meaning of the phrase is that individuals may have the intention to undertake good actions but nevertheless fail to take action.

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Employee engagement Customer Experience Management 83

Kayako

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

We all know that emotionally, people don’t respond well to “no.” As customers we hate it, so why would you straight up say “no” to a customer request? A by-product of saying “no” is that it often results in lengthy conversations, anger, and escalations. These conversations drag on for longer than they have to and get more people involved than needed.

Scripts 81

Scripts Feedback Customer Service Accountability 81

Etech

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Technology has offered us many ways to gauge customer experience and adjust business practices in response, but not until social media have we had access to such unbiased, real-time consumer responses. Consumers can like us, rate us, and often make or break us based on their online assessments of our businesses. Customer feedback on Social Media often comes in the form of a complaint.

Feedback 81

Feedback Accountability Technology Customer Experience 81

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Customer Experience

Amity

NOVEMBER 28, 2017

One of the biggest challenges of quantifying the benefits of customer success is that many organizations fall short on how to prolong the customer success continuum. The customer maturity phase will happen and you won’t realize how much of your business needs to change and adapt to this new phase. Below are some red signals that should immediately alert you and tips to help you gain early insight into being proactive in avoiding the impact of growth pitfalls. 1.

Sales 80

Sales SaaS Accountability Metrics 80

Toister Performance Solutions

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

The webinar software picked the wrong time to get wonky. My online training class started in less than 30 minutes. A client was paying good money for its employees to attend this session. Schedules had been rearranged to make it happen. There was a lot on the line. Everything was locked and loaded just minutes earlier. Suddenly, I couldn't log in. I placed a frantic call to technical support.

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Customer Support Technical Support Self service Coaching 79

Nexmo

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

In my college days, I had serious doubts about voice ever becoming a viable computer interface, but the rapid advancements in bot and AI technology have me reconsidering that stance. I spoke with Microsoft Technical Evangelist Martin Beeby and Opearlo Co-Founder/CTO Oscar Merry about what they envision as the future of bots and AI. They […]. The post The Future of Bots: Voice as the Primary Computer Interface appeared first on Nexmo.

Technology 79

Technology 79