Sat.Jan 27, 2018 - Fri.Feb 02, 2018

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The Customer Service Gap

ShepHyken

I’ve written about the customer service gap before. The first version referred to the gap between you and your competitors. You want the gap to be wide. It means you are putting yourself further ahead of your competition and picking up market share. The second version of the gap focused on narrowing the distance between you and your customers. The closer you are to your customers, and the more you are meeting their needs, the narrower the gap is between you and your customer.

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The Key to Great Customer Service: Collaboration

Contact Center Pipeline

When it comes to creating an exceptional service culture, nothing is more important than a team’s ability to collaborate well. Both the agent and the customer experience will be exponentially better with 360 degrees of partnership—agents partnering with each other to share knowledge and solve problems, leadership partnering alongside agents to understand the front line, […].

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Trending Sources

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The “Feel, Felt, Found” Method for Empathy

Myra Golden Media

Today I’m going to show you how to use the Feel, Felt, Found method to express empathy to your customers. What’s great about the Feel, Felt, Found Method, is, it gives you the perfect response when you can’t give the customer exactly what they want. It helps you to be more relatable, and to foster a sense of connection with customers. The Feel, Felt, Found method is easy to use.

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21 Call Center Leaders Reveal What’s Keeping Call Center Managers Up at Night

Callminer

Call center managers are tasked with myriad responsibilities, and they maintain responsibility for ensuring that they are running a call center operation smoothly and efficiently.

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How AI Is Revolutionizing Contact Centers: 2025 Strategy + ROI Playbook

In 2025, contact centers aren’t just changing—they’re being rebuilt by AI. This no-fluff, executive-ready guide shows you how to capitalize on the transformation. Inside: proven ROI calculators, workforce optimization tactics, deflection strategies, and a 90-day AI deployment plan. Built for CIOs, COOs, CX leaders, and contact center strategists, it goes beyond buzzwords into play-by-play implementation.

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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of January 29, 2018

ShepHyken

Each week I read a number of customer service and customer experience articles from various 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. Customer Service Report 2018 by Olga Kolodynska, Justyna Polaczyk, Malgorzata Buksinska and Lukasz Labedzki. (LiveChat) The report contains key customer service findings from 2017 and trends for 2018.

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Leadership in Action

Call Center Weekly

By Linda Sydow When building high performing teams, it is important to include the members of the team in the building process. If they do not feel included, the results will be less than stellar. They will either leave the team, or become disconnected, and distant. When I work on projects, I select individuals to work as specialists to assist in the success of the project.

Coaching 174
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How To Design (And Act On) Real-World Employee Surveys

Beyond Philosophy

Michael Lowenstein, Ph.D., CMC Thought Leadership Principal, Beyond Philosophy. Companies are fond of saying that employees are their most powerful resource, and in many ways – especially their influence on customer loyalty – that’s been well proven. But, to understand what factors leverage employee behavior, most organizations have historically relied on satisfaction and engagement surveys, typically conducted through HR.

Surveys 170
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Guest Blog: What Can We Learn from Southwest’s Customer Service?

ShepHyken

This week we feature an article by Misa Chien who shares great lessons we can learn from the Southwest Airlines customer culture. This also reminds us that customer service doesn’t just happen on the front line. It happens throughout the entire company. It must be part of the company’s culture. – Shep Hyken. What comes to mind when you think of a bachelorette party?

Airlines 213
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21 Call Center Leaders Reveal the Biggest Concerns Keeping Call Center Managers Up at Night

Callminer

Call center managers are tasked with myriad responsibilities, and they maintain responsibility for ensuring that their call center operation runs smoothly and efficiently. With managers often having large staffs of call center representatives to manage, regulatory compliance requirements to address, customer satisfaction to uphold, sales targets to hit, and more, it’s no surprise that call […].

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State of AI in Sales & Marketing 2025

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.

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"Follow the Leader", Featuring Errol Allen

Call Center Weekly

Why is it important for customer service leaders to spend time on the front line? It is my opinion that leaders should regularly (monthly) schedule time with their front-line employees. Doing so can have a major impact within an organization. Here a several reasons why I feel it’s important to spend time on the front line. 1. Enlightenment – In today’s business environment, managing by the numbers seems to be the way to go.

Morale 136
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Wouldn’t You Want To Do Business Like This Every Day?

Steve DiGioia

…so what’s stopping you? This original article was written by Steve DiGioia. Close your eyes. Imagine walking into a store and are immediately met by a pleasant employee with one goal in mind; to ensure you find the best product that suits your needs exactly as you wish. No need to look for help, she’s already there and knows the products like the back of her hand.

Sales 127
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Amazing Business Radio: Jeffrey Shaw

ShepHyken

How Speaking Your Customer’s Lingo Makes You Irresistible. Shep Hyken Interviews Jeffrey Shaw, the LINGO Guy. What if you could speak your ideal customer’s language? . . ? <span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”>?

Marketing 210
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Advances in Object Recognition Builds Trust in the Virtual Technician

TechSee

“Gareth, the dishwasher seems to be clogged. Please fix it.”. “Affirmative sir, will check and repair.”. “Great, I’ll be out on the deck.”. It’s a beautiful day in 2030 and I’m relaxing with my entertainment system. I sit up suddenly. Sniff, Sniff. “Gareth, are you cooking something? I smell something burning.”. “Negative, sir, just flushing the dishwasher hose, sir.”.

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Next-Gen Cloud Contact Centers For Dummies®

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.

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What Are the Elements of Good Strategic Planning?

Call Center Weekly

By Dea Harrington From the article series, Strategy for the Real World Ask anyone for the definition of “strategy” and you will most assuredly get a myriad of subjective definitions. To keep us on the same page, here is a brief (and subjective) primer. Strategy (high level) is the plan developed by organization leaders to enhance the health and growth of the entity.

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What Parenting and Leadership Have in Common

Contact Center Pipeline

I am fortunate to have raised two boys who are growing up to be fine young men. Some of the lessons I learned in raising them have carried over to my professional career as well. I may not be world-class at fatherhood or leadership, but I continue to learn new things about both roles every […].

Coaching 113
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Proven Customer Support Tools for Startups With Plans to Scale

aircall

In the beginning, you and your co-founders bootstrapped solutions and personally attended to each customer like they were newborn kittens. Your internal messaging system was a tap on the shoulder, and your communal desk doubled as a ping-pong table (or was it the other way around?). Startup life can be gritty and romantic, that’s for sure. But now the product is selling like hotcakes, you’ve been featured on Product Hunt, and venture capitalists are sleeping in tents outside your apartment.

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Defining Brands with The Kind of Customer Experience They Deliver: An Exclusive Interview with Mr. Viraj Verma, Marketing and Strategic Alliances Head, PVR BluO

Customer Guru

At Customer Guru, we believe that Customer Experience (CX) should be the number one priority for all the Indian businesses so that they become more sustainable and successful globally. Thus, we have started the initiative of sharing a series of interviews with top-notch CX experts in India to spread this awareness. Our guest for this week is Mr. Viraj Verma, a leading CX enthusiast in India.

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The Ultimate Blueprint for an AI-First Contact Center

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.

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Audio Deep Dives: Listening Analysis Made Simple

Call Center Weekly

By Diana Aviles The core part of Speech Analytics that sometimes gets lost amongst the high powered metadata and reporting functionalities are the audio insights themselves. The whole purpose of SA is to have the ability to analyze specific words and phrases mentioned in customer/agent interactions. To SA newcomers, I have found that once the dust settles from all of the extensive training, there’s this feeling of “What’s next for me?

Analytics 136
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Unusual Tips for Training Contact Center Agents

Fonolo

There are a few things to keep in mind when building an A+ team of call center agents. First and foremost, make sure that you’re hiring the right people (that’s of course more difficult than it sounds). Once the right candidates are in place, the training becomes critical. We already know how monotonous a call center agent’s role can be but, by making the training process exciting and fun, you’re creating a better environment for everyone.

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5 Tips for Achieving First Contact Resolution

VocalCom

While technology fuels a constant evolution in customer service practices, certain customer priorities do not change: A need for quick and in-depth service. For this reason, first contact resolution, or FCR, remains a critical metric for contact centers to monitor. According to the Customer Experience Executive Report by CCW Digital, 70% of customers consider FCR the most important factor when interacting with a company, yet only 10% of companies believe they excel at its delivery.

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3 Online Marketing Tools You Can Use to Teach Consumers About Your Brand

Joe Rawlinson

You’re not alone in your struggles. In fact, companies the world over experience the same predicament: trying to repeatedly and successfully convey how their products or services can benefit consumers. But, believe it or not, uniting the forces of education and marketing can go a long way in your pursuit of happiness. Don’t just market to your customers, though.

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The Ultimate Contact Center Buyers Guide: A Crucial Decision

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.

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3 Ways For Customers to Accept Estimates Online

Method:CRM

It’s no secret that organization is key to running a successful business. This is especially true when your company creates quotes or estimates in QuickBooks for prospective customers. After all, you can’t start the work if you don’t know whether the customer has accepted your estimate. Ideally, your customers should be able to quickly and easily accept estimates online.

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Understanding the Employer Journey — The Employee Engagement Loop

ijgolding

Last week I had a fascinating conversation with a peer of mine – a fellow Customer Experience Professional. James Dodkins is as passionate about transforming organisations to become sustainably customer centric as I am. Like me, James regularly comes across organisations who talk about ‘putting the customer first’ – a statement that is hard to immediately disagree with.

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Customer Effort Score vs. Customer Satisfaction

Mindtouch

In the world of customer experience, there’s more than one way to shine a penny. Net promoter score (NPS) , customer satisfaction (CSAT), customer effort score (CES)—each of these KPIs provides useful insights into the customer’s journey. They help us answer questions like: How do customers find our help content? What kind of customer support experience do customers prefer?

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How To Build A Strong Customer Centric Team

CSM Magazine

There is a big difference between appreciating the importance of customers within a business and creating a customer centric team. A company that values its customer’s business may set up a designated customer support team for complaints and feedback, but a customer centric company will put the needs of customers at the forefront of operations and ensure that all members of the team are on the same page.

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The GTM Intelligence Era: ZoomInfo 2025 Customer Impact Report

ZoomInfo customers aren’t just selling — they’re winning. Revenue teams using our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform grew pipeline by 32%, increased deal sizes by 40%, and booked 55% more meetings. Download this report to see what 11,000+ customers say about our Go-To-Market Intelligence platform and how it impacts their bottom line. The data speaks for itself!

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4 Parts of a Winning Customer Engagement Strategy

UJET

A solid customer engagement strategy, when done well, increases reputation, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. After years in search of the perfect formula for building and maintaining successful customer relationships, we've uncovered a winning combination.

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The Top Five “Must Have” Contact Center Phone System Features

NICE inContact

Are you one of the almost 40% of organizations that say reducing effort to improve the customer experience is their primary contact center goal for 2018? If you are, here’s our laundry list of the top five things that are absolute “must have” phone system features for your contact center in 2018 and beyond: Built-in Reliability and Disaster Recovery.

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4 Contact Center Reports to Start Off Your Year

Fonolo

It’s going to be a big year in the world of contact center and in customer service technology. Will Avaya soar upwards, freshly unburdened from its decade of debt? Will this be the year that messaging platforms from Facebook, Apple and others reach critical mass as a channel for customer service? Will the AI / chatbot hype start to live up to its promise?