Welcome to the real self-service economy

Consumers want to be in control. They show a clear preference for self-service solutions, both in planning a purchase, the purchase itself and possible questions afterwards.  Smart companies try to anticipate this trend because it is in the mutual interest of businesses and their customers. The use of customer data is absolutely indispensable as this will improve the customer experience in every phase of the purchase process. Tweet This This evolution doesn’t mean the end of the traditional 'human' customer service. The need for a safety net with personal contact still exists. This contact can be organized by the companies themselves, but it may also mean contact with other customers. These are some of the conclusions from a worldwide study conducted over the past few months in collaboration with SSI (fieldwork) and No Problem! (translation partner). The study included ten countries from all around the world. The results of…

An example implementation showing the popularity of Live Chat

The Sun newspaper took a step into uncharted territory in August 2013 when it moved its content behind a paywall for the first time. For Britain's biggest selling daily, it was a hugely important development. In common with newspapers all over the world, the Sun has witnessed a sea change in consumption habits as increasing numbers of readers opt to access content online rather than buying printed editions. By setting up a paywall and thus requiring readers to pay a subscription, the Sun was securing an important revenue stream for its online version while also emphasising that its journalism has a value.   But if it was a big step for the newspaper itself, it was also a major change for online readers, who were being asked to pay for content that had previously been free to…

Understanding how your mobile strategy can improve your customer service

Most of us find it almost impossible to spend time without a smartphone or tablet close at hand. These days, to quote the famous ad for Martino Rosso, we expect to be connected and online  ‘anytime, anyplace, anywhere.’ Indeed the mobile device has become not only a constant companion but also an essential tool. Witness our shopping habits. According to research organisation IMRG, around half of e-commerce sales in the UK are accounted for by mobile devices. Meanwhile, a 2014 survey by Econsultancy found that 13% of us engage in the art of 'showrooming.' Or to put it another way,  we check out goods in store before buying online, using our mobile devices to compare prices and then make the purchase. And not only do we shop on the move. These…

How are are companies managing their VOC assessment and follow-up?

It's the fourth year that the Temkin Group has delivered their benchmarking report which has researched 218 companies in the area of the 'Voice of the Customer' (VOC). What is VOC?  'Voice of the Customer is a market research technique that produces a detailed set of customer wants and needs, organized into a hierarchical structure, and then prioritized in terms of relative importance and satisfaction with current alternatives. Voice of the Customer studies typically consist of both qualitative and quantitative research steps. They are generally conducted at the start of any new product, process, or service design initiative in order to better understand the customer's wants and needs, and as the key input for new product definition.' The report highlights that 'Looking ahead, companies plan on focusing less on multiple-choice surveys and more on interaction history and predictive…

Research shows that still 59% of Twitter users are not receiving any response

Brands understand that social media can support their customer care programme if it's well-resourced and they have a clear strategy according to this Social Media Customer Service 101 infographic from West Interactive which focuses on Twitter customer service. It's working well for leading brands such as Nike and you may have seen Nationwide are promoting Twitter for customer support on their current TV campaign in the UK. Though how good are brands at providing a good user experience across their social media channels as '17% of consumers expect this media as a channel for responding to their customer service questions'.   Companies who are succeeding with social media as a channel for managing their customer service…

50% of customer service representatives disagree

Customers naturally have high expectations when it comes to customer service and will easily switch brands, so it's all well and good having a good workflow and technologies but 'customer service' is paramount and the 'human contact' and making it easy for online shoppers to quickly get responses to their questions. Research on multichannel customer service backs this up, and consumers are still influenced by not only response times, but also the tone of voice and the information they are receiving. Voice automation services (IVR) is popular amongst brands, but is this from the company's point of view to cut down on call time with a live agent rather than for the benefit of the customer!.  Even customer service representatives aren't impressed with internal technologies and 75% of consumers are dissatisfied as ' it takes too long to get the info they…

New research shows the popularity of Online Customer Service including Live Chat, Social Media and Email

Improving customer service can be the answer for many companies to stand out in the crowd, as they trade in competitive environments with increasing customer expectations. Omnichannel customer care is being recognised by retailers, as the number of customer communication channels are increasing, as consumers are buying products and services. Consumers are contacting companies via traditional methods of the phone, in-store face to face contact and via social media such as Tweeting and Online chats.

What is the preferred method of contact for goods bought in-store?

Retailers know that customer service at every touchpoint, regardless of the communication method, must provide a positive experience every time so they don't lose sales or damage their brand. But which are the customer care channels they need to offer and how do they compare? The research highlights the…

New research shows consumer preferences for online service and experience

LivePerson carried out a survey with over 6,000 consumers to understand their online consumer behaviour and expectations of the digital online experience from an organisation. Although they are known as an online customer service chat service the report covers broader perceptions than this.

Did you know that a consumer will wait no more than 76 seconds to receive help online? - a small window of opportunity to retain the customer.

The full report can be downloaded from Liveperson's site. Here is an overview of the four key themes from the findings:

 1. Do not be complacent! Consumers will switch brands for a better experience - 48% are still experiencing problems navigating websites and 33% can not find a customer service contact.2. Create trust and loyalty with your brand Consumers still expect the personal touch and to speak on…

The challenge for managers of contact centres in the era of the social media empowered customer

Integrating social media into the Contact Centre is rather a daunting task, but with demand for social customer service growing at its current rate the time to think about it is now.

Social customer service platform, Sentiment, has put together this handy infographic (below) that outlines some of the biggest challenges contact centres face.

We will also be discussing approaches to manage this issue on January 15th 2014, when our Social Times CEO Luke Brynley-Jones will be hosting a webinar on ‘How Should Contact Centres Integrate Social Media?’. He’ll be joined by an excellent panel, including Martin Hill- Wilson (Brainfood Consulting), Luke Porter (Contact Centre Social) and Dom Sparkes (Tempero). You can register for the webinar.

I’ve picked out some of the highlights from…

Which social media complainer do you recognise?

The importance of social media to customer service has been highlighted through 2013. Marketers are seeking to deliver a positive customer experience, but if there is a problem, to use social media to react quickly and transparently to complaints, as well as using analytics to track and respond to customer behaviour and predict problems before it's too late!. Exact Target have recently created this infographic based on the results from research from the University of Florida. They segmented these Social Media Complainers into 5 types. The infographic gives ideas on how to treat these types of disgruntled customers differently, if you can recognise them. The Meek Customer: Don't like to complain, and will do so on Twitter or Facebook as they are seeking reassurance. The Aggressive Customer: Vocal with their complaints and best…