2014

Displaying 1 - 10 of 93

Customer service and Christmas deliveries

Published on: December 19, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

For many people, online is becoming the default channel for buying Christmas presents, with trips to the High Street relegated to either window shopping for ideas, top up purchases or to pick up Click and Collect orders. Consumer research from Metapack found that 22% of UK respondents planned to do almost all their Christmas shopping online, rising to 29% among the 35 to 44-year-old age group. 85%...

The impact of the Millennial Generation on customer service

Published on: December 17, 2014
Author: Lloyd Buxton - Business Development

The rise of Millennial Generation - also known as Generation Y – is having a far reaching effect on how companies deliver customer service. If your company has not already started adapting to the requirements of this group, you might be in danger of being left behind. Born between the '80s to the 2000s the Millennials are characterized by a collection of core values and beliefs that...

Will 2014 be a Happy Christmas for retailers?

Published on: December 12, 2014
Author: Lloyd Buxton - Business Development

No retailer needs reminding that Christmas is the busiest time of the year, and a strong peak trading period can make the difference between success and failure for a business. There is therefore a real focus on ensuring that the shopping experience is as seamless as possible in order to drive sales. A key part of this is providing consumers with the information they need clearly and quickly, thro...

Cold-calling and the customer experience

Published on: December 11, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

A UK government taskforce has recommended larger fines for businesses that make nuisance calls to consumers. Fines should be up to £500,000 (or 20% of turnover in the case of PPI cold-callers), with company directors held responsible for unwanted phone calls from their organisation according to the report.The Nuisance Call Task Force has also suggested that the threshold for when regulators ...

The benefits of integrating customer service with the back office

Published on: December 08, 2014
Author: Steve Nattress

Back office activities may be unglamorous, but they are vital. Whether ensuring that customers receive the right paperwork, taking payments, making amendments to accounts or organising the dispatch of products, failures lead to frustrated and angry customers, and additional strain on the contact centre.From a customer point of view, requests to the back office appear simple and straightforward. Ex...

How CRM silos impact the customer experience

Published on: December 04, 2014
Author: Robin Tandon - Senior Product Marketing Director

A recent report from Hypatia Research Group highlights how Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software has become business critical to every organisation. However, the study, Next Generation CRM: All about Business Process Excellence points out a key issue with many existing CRM implementations. Essentially, while they act as a database for tracking customers, what they have bought and what th...

Maintaining customer service levels at the busiest times of the year

Published on: November 28, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

One of the most frustrating experiences for consumers is calling a company with a query and being met with a recorded message saying 'we are experiencing high call volumes at present, please hang up and try later'. Frustration can boil over into anger if they receive the same message on numerous occasions, particularly if it includes the advice to check the company website for information ...

Moving on from desktop email

Published on: November 26, 2014
Author: Dharmesh Ghedia

With 144.8 billion emails sent every day, it continues to be a vital channel for customer service. Indeed, the rise of mobile devices, which allow consumers to quickly email wherever they are, means that the number of messages companies receive is actually growing.With many midsize organisations receiving over quarter of a million emails every year, coping with email customer service can be a stru...

Online reviews and the impact on customer service

Published on: November 21, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

Since online reviews became prevalent, championed by the likes of Amazon, their impact has spread widely across multiple industries. This has been driven by three main factors:The growth of ecommerce means that consumers are increasingly buying goods that they’ve not been able to see in person, meaning that they want assurance as to product quality.It gives buyers the opportunity to benchmar...

Deliver on your customer promises, or else…

Published on: November 19, 2014
Author: Lloyd Buxton - Business Development

Customer confidence in companies can be fragile; one mistake and consumers are ready to move their business elsewhere (and complain about it on social media). Often problems occur because companies don’t deliver on what they say they will do. In other words, they fail to keep their promises.Customer service expert and blogger, Shep Hyken, articulated in a recent post that promises to custome...

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