Customer Service News

• New laws will make it easier, faster for customers in the UK to switch banks [This Is Money]

• Samsung and Apple earn top marks for satisfaction among smartphone makers [CNET]

• Australian telecoms forced to improve customer service—or pay the price [Business Review Australia]

• New tools help TD Bank serve customers via Twitter and other social media platforms [Bank Investment Consultant]

• Mobile app aims to move customer loyalty cards into the digital age [PC Magazine]

Heroic stories of customer service: why coaching and empowering frontline staff can go a long way [1to1Media]

Spending on social CRM slated to increase sharply over the next year [CIO]

Avoid these common customer service pitfalls and learn how to engineer a truly positive, low-effort experience [BNet]

Survey reveals customers take strong purchasing and marketing cues from social media [1to1Media]

In order to satisfy its diverse customer pool and become a “customer service star,” Google bolsters its in-house phone support [Econsultancy]

Customer Service News

• The ‘Customer Aggravation Index’ (not to be confused with the Customer Effort Score)—an alternative to predicting loyalty using customer surveys? [Business Finance Magazine]

• Flexible work arrangements lead to increase in productivity—and not just for call center representatives [InSing News]

• A sign of things to come? Amazon expands its presence in South Africa with new customer service operation [Tech Central]

• The pros and cons of mobile apps, and why they may not be in the best interest of the customer experience [eConsultancy]

• And finally, as Steve Jobs steps down as CEO of Apple, a look back at his personal commitment to customer service [Xconomy]

• British Airways is attempting to improve customer service by equipping cabin crew with iPads. [WebProNews]
• A twitter post now coined as “the greatest customer service story” ever told. [BusinessInsider]
• Study shows more customers would use social media for service if they knew exactly what was available to them. [1to1 Media]
• Six social media myths that service organizations must debunk. [CRM Magazine]
• A podcast discusses the importance of remaining transparent when dealing dissatisfied customers. [Freakonomics]

CCC has partnered with Iconoculture to bring you the latest in global consumer trends.  Below is our bi-weekly update featuring the latest Iconoculture insights available now on the CCC site.

Recently, environmental consultant Dr. Matt Prescott developed Energy Pet- an initiative that helps kids in the UK become more conscious about energy consumption. This tamagotchi-style cartoon is designed to pick up on real-time energy readings and respond accordingly, making environmental indicators emotionally and readily accessible to a future generation of consumers. This reflects a growing awareness and concern among consumers about energy efficiency and consumption reduction.

While this may seem to bode poorly for energy and utility companies, it is actually beneficial for these businesses to embrace this trend. In a shifting landscape where consumers and society aim to use less, these businesses need to capitalize on this change and reframe their product as an outcomes-based service, not a commodity. By reframing their business in this light, utility companies can offer energy products that are efficient and environmentally conscious– traits that initiatives like Energy Pet are instilling in kids today.

Read More »

Customer Service News

• New customer service mobile app does everything for you, except the talking [Tech Cocktail]
• The unintended consequences of call volume and checklist quality assurance, and why it might be time to modernize QA [Chicago Sun-Times]
• By paying attention to micro-trends, businesses can use social media to gain more insightful, honest understanding of customers [1to1Media]
• As consumers gain voice in healthcare model, organizations see greater need to focus service and segmentation [Peppers & Rogers Group]
• Coming back from summer vacation? Here’s how to survive the transition back to the working world [PositiveSharing]

Customer Service News

• Companies launch a plan to create 100,000 new customer service jobs by 2013 [USA Today]

• The best way to understand your customer’s experience is to be a customer yourself [Innovate on Purpose]

• Poor customer service is the fastest way to disappoint your loyal retail customers [PCR]

• Imitation stores in China copy even the customer service offered by the global companies they’re channeling [WSJ]

• Social media can make winners and losers, and acting honestly and admitting your mistakes is the best way to come out on top [HBR]

• In light of the controversy over Netfilx’s price increase, one customer’s perspective on paying for a service based on its value [HBR]

Customer Service News

• US Airways distributes over $250k to employees who go ‘above and beyond’ to serve customers [Market Watch]

• Facebook debuts new resources to help small businesses leverage the social media site to connect with customers [Gigaom]

• And as Facebook looks to serve the needs of businesses small and large, customer service is poised to take on a greater role for the social media giant [PC World]

• Customer loyalty: a fragile relationship, as Netflix may have to learn the hard way [1to1 Media]

• And finally, check out this ‘Outsourcing Reading List’ for a first-hand account of what call centers in India are really like [WSJ Online]

For many, summertime is often a chance to dust off the books waiting patiently on the shelf read…the ones you bought last year, five years ago, maybe even five days ago at a Borders liquidation sale.  It’s likely that you have one last summer vacation in your future before the weather turns cooler, so the CCC team recently brainstormed a list of books that we’d recommend you pack in your carry-on luggage or beach bag.

Here are some of the most interesting books that made our list:

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
Many of you have now had a chance to hear CCC present our brand-new research on The Next Frontier of Rep Performance.  In this research, we explored several different factors that drive rep performance in today’s customer contact organization—and emotional intelligence, or EQ, was one of those factors (spoiler alert: it wasn’t the biggest driver).  So we’ve been passing this book around the team to brush up on our EQ knowledge.   This was suggested by one of our U.S. members in the telecommunications industry.  It’s a pretty quick read and full of good information.  On a related note, we’ve been drawing A LOT of inspiration from Drive by Daniel Pink as well. Read More »