Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ant cology optimization, customer service, KPI, Mark Angel
By Mark Angel
If ants have to choose between two unequal length paths from a source of food back to their colony, they ultimately always choose the shortest, easiest one. Here’s how it works:
- Ants run around the colony, more or less randomly, looking for food.
- If an ant finds food, it returns back to the colony, and leaves on the ground a scent trail.
- This scent trail attract nearby ants, which will follow this path and strengthen the scent of the trail, attracting more ants, strengthening the trail…
Ant colony optimization can be analogous to customer service. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: customer service, Customer service management, email, email customer service, email management, Vikas Nehru
By Vikas Nehru
In 1971, when the first email was sent, a future of unimagined potential was born. Today, email is everywhere with studies estimating that there are over 1.3 billion email users worldwide sending about 210 billion emails every day.
In addition to widespread use for personal communication and collaboration at work, consumers rely heavily on email to interact with businesses. Email as a customer service channel now represents 19 percent of all customer interactions, according to Aberdeen Group analyst Sumair Dutta. Particularly for non-urgent requests, consumers prefer using email because it’s more convenient, accessible and timely than phone service.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: brand, customer service, Evolved Thinking, IKEA, Kate Leggett, Mark Angel
By Mark Angel
Today’s customers have high expectations. They want personalized, consistent, accurate and timely service. If your company fails to deliver — an increasingly common problem — they’ll take to the social Web to let you and the rest of the world know about it.
To better manage expectations, companies need to take a closer look at how they’re aligning their service offerings with their brand images. After all, your brand is only as strong as your customers’ perception of the company’s value proposition.
IKEA gets this. The company’s service matches its brand image.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Bob Thompson, Chip Cliedman, KANA, products, recession, SEM, Service experience management, Vikas Nehru
By Vikas Nehru
Well-known blogger Seth Godin recently noted that the best marketing strategy is to destroy your industry before your competition does. He’s absolutely right. Especially in today’s economic climate, you must out-innovate your competitors, or they will out-innovate you.
Many companies are tiptoeing around innovation. They are opting to maintain the status quo, rather than expand. They continue to make small improvements to their existing product suites instead of developing new, revolutionary solutions. These companies are at risk. Like Singer (the sewing machine manufacturer that Godin references in his blog), many once-proud industry leaders will find themselves stuck in the also-ran column. (more…)
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Mark Angel, Service experience management
By Mark Angel
Recently, noted economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett wrote in the Harvard Business Review about ways in which high ranking executives can successfully motivate their employees. She cites examples like Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes, who held skip-level lunches with top performers, and Lynn Utter, president and COO of furniture designer Knoll, who makes four thank-you calls each week to acknowledge strong lower level performers.
John Caddell, a CRM consultant, responded to Hewlett’s piece on his blog, criticizing her top-down approach. He believes the best way to motivate employees — especially customer service representatives (CSRs) — is to give them far more freedom and input.
Both approaches have merit when used at the right time.
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By Vikas Nehru
During this economic downturn cycle, we’ve all been asked to do more with less, using the tools and technologies that we currently have instead of investing in new solutions. We’ve heard this message from you, and we offer you ways to do just that with the following programs.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: customer service, Michael Fields, SEM, Service experience management
By Michael Fields
If there’s one constant in business, and life, it’s change. And, that’s never been more true than today. Being able to adapt to it is the hallmark of a strong organization. But as critical as it is to an organization’s success, it’s not easy. Leaders of institutions and companies often find employees and customers are resistant to—even afraid of—change.
Leaders must help them understand that shifts in services provided as well as organizational policy, procedures and practices provide strategic advantage in a changing marketplace. Leaders need to demonstrate that change stimulates innovation. It’s this innovation that will bring success, sustained growth, and satisfaction among employees and customers.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Charlie Isaacs, customer service, Customer service management
By Charlie Isaacs
The economy is tough. But now is NOT the time to scrimp and pinch pennies when it comes to your existing customer base. The companies that focus on and solve problems faced by their existing customers will thrive and succeed when the economy picks up again.
Frequently, I hear horror stories about companies putting the “squeeze” on their customers. They are trying to gouge existing services and products or charge customers more for the same offering as a way to offset shrinking revenue. These customers rightfully dumped their vendors because of this bad behavior and found a new provider to fill the void.
To help you avoid this getting into unhappy situation with your customers, I’ve outlined some do’s and don’ts for dealing with your customers in tough economic times.
