Customer Service News

• High school offers customer support curriculum as elective to students [1to1Media – requires free registration to read]
• New Facebook loyalty program changing the face of customer rewards [AllFacebook]
• Meanwhile, loyalty app Viggle aims to do the same with TV viewers [CRM Daily]
• Will outsourced call center jobs be moving back to the US in greater numbers?  [The Washington Post]
• Forrester reveals the Top 15 Trends for Customer Service in 2012 [Forrester]
• Speaking of which, what are your peers’ customer service priorities for 2012? [MyCustomer]

How channel switching is part of Thomas Cook’s multi-channel strategy [Travolution]

Food delivery company Seamless finds Twitter success through a dedicated team and quick responses to customer queries [Business Insider]

Successful customer interactions hinge on both the message and the medium, indicates Convergys 2011 U.S. Customer Scorecard Research [CSM]

Optus launches dedicated online customer support forum to address customer issues and foster discussion amongst customers [Delimiter]

How online retailer Live Out There used Facebook to communicate with customers during Web site downtime [Yahoo News]

Financial institutions increasingly use social media to resolve customer issues [MarketWatch]

But many Americans still have reservations about mixing personal finances and social media outlets [ZDNet]

Customer personal information hacked on Zappos.com; company toll free line temporarily shut down  [TheStar.com]

Proactive contacts with “shopping cart abandoners” can increase purchases [1to1Media]

Customer Effort Score and Net Promoter Score: the value of customer service metrics [ITWebBusiness]

• The power of positive language: six words you should use to improve customer service [CBS News]
• Feedback fatigue? Why some consumers are tired of being surveyed [USA Today]
• New ‘social currency’ allows customers to pool their credit card rewards [ABC News]
• How customer-centricity is changing the pharmaceutical industry [Business2Community]
• And finally, check out these predictions on how social customer service will evolve in 2012 [eConsultancy]

But can customers really tell the difference between online service and overall brand performance? [MSNBC]

New Facebook app lets Citi customers pool points in social media [Washington Post]

Six months after its launch, Google+ is still viewed by some as business-friendly space [1to1Media]

Nightmare customer service interaction makes for viral video [NPR]

• Check out these predictions for the customer experience in 2012 (and read ours too!) [Customer Think]
• New study tests customer expectations for social media service [All Facebook]
• Speaking of social media, here are the Top Ten Lessons we learned in 2011 [Forbes]
• And finally, new daily deal company Womply takes customer loyalty ‘to the cloud’ [Fast Company]

But social media is taking customer conversations behind closed doors [PCWorld]

Credit unions beat big banks in customer service ratings [Fierce Finance]

Stores offer customer free shipping, but is it always good for customer service? [The Street]

• Customers use supermarket chain Tesco’s free customer Wi-Fi across its 200 Tesco Extra stores to compare product prices and read reviews as they shop (ZDNet UK)
• Customers spend four minutes on average on online security checks before abandoning an online retail transaction or turning to a competitor (MyCustomer.com)
• Seven ways IT can help improve customer service (Global CIO)
• The 6 rules of online customer engagement—it’s about putting your customer first. (Business2Community)
• Salesforce.com’s customer service suite joins Dell’s growing cloud platform for CRM and related functions specifically for small and medium businesses (SMB)
• Verint earns recognition from Frost & Sullivan for driving call monitoring and WFO technology in Asia-Pacific and demonstrating best practices in strategy, processes, planning and execution across various regional and global markets in Latin America (MarketWatch)

If these polls are any sort of window into the minds of our readers, then here is what we know about you:

1. You were torn on making a choice, but ultimately you think that social media is a viable, long-term option for service.
2. Indeed, you are tech-savvy…and would love to see QR codes become a new channel for service.
3. Forget the major IVR investments though!  You’re keeping it simple with low-cost fixes.
4. Everything to everyone—generalists are your employee of choice.
5. Keep it simple with those folks though…only 1-2 web chats at a time, please!
6. Your adherence policies do not give much leeway when it comes to reps taking a short “time out” after a difficult call.
7. Given a choice, you would like to see your staff receive many (yet brief) breaks during their shifts.
8. Breakfast is not a routine for you.
9. While you may need a cup of coffee or two—you do not rely on caffeine to get through the day.
10. You like voting…more than 600 of you participating in our polls in 2011, and we hope that you’ll continue to read and provide your opinion in 2012!

Here is the breakdown of results:

Just for Fun Questions
From “Staff Performance Data Series: Breakfast of Champions”
Do you eat a full breakfast?

• No (52%, 61 Votes)
• Yes (48%, 57 Votes)

Total Voters: 118

Do you rely on caffeine to get through the day?

• No (59%, 70 Votes)
• Yes (42%, 50 Votes)

Total Voters: 119

Talent Management Questions
From “Do Your Reps Need a Time Out?”
Does your company have a formal “time out” policy for reps?

• No (90%, 52 Votes)
• Yes (10%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 58

Which type of break schedule do you think would be most effective for reducing rep stress?

• More frequent, but shorter, breaks (95%, 54 Votes)
• Fewer, but longer, breaks (5%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 57

From “The Great Debate: Generalists vs Specialists”
Which staffing model do you find to be more effective?

• Generalists (78%, 50 Votes)
• Specialists (22%, 14 Votes)

Total Voters: 64

Technology and Multichannel Questions
From “Social Media: Bright, Shiny Object? You Decide”
Which choice below best describes Social Media for customer service?

• A viable, long-term option (55%, 72 Votes)
• A bright, shiny object (45%, 58 Votes)

Total Voters: 130

From “QR Codes: Next Gen Service or Much Ado About Nothing?”
What do you think? Is there a future in service for QR codes?

• I love it! It’s another service channel for our customers & we’re all for it! (45%, 15 Votes)
• The jury is still out … but I’m anxiously awaiting a verdict. (33%, 11 Votes)
• It’s just another fad and, like acid-washed jeans, it will go away, too. (22%, 7 Votes)

Total Voters: 33

From “How Many Web Chats are Too Many?”
What number of chats do you allow or think is permissible for agents to handle concurrently?

• 1-2 (60%, 29 Votes)
• 3-4 (38%, 18 Votes)
• 5 or more (2%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 48

From “Is the IVR Worth New Investment?”
Companies should approach future IVR investments with the mindset of:

• Keep it simple with low-cost fixes (64%, 16 Votes)
• Bring on the bells and whistles! (36%, 9 Votes)

Total Voters: 25

Related CCC Resources:

• IVR Topic Center
• Social Media Topic Center
• Workforce Management Topic Center

• New study finds social media an ineffective tool for boosting customer loyalty [All Business]

• And speaking of loyalty, just how effective is your customer loyalty program? [Forbes]
• No surprises: mobile service, social media top early list of Customer Service Trends for 2012 [TMC Net]
• Companies slow to respond to record customer volume over Black Friday weekend [Destination CRM]
• Mobile payment app Square adds customer loyalty benefits, other new features [Tech Crunch]