Feature

Feature Article: Create a Branded Service Experience

By Susan Hash

Companies spend millions each year on marketing and advertising to create specific consumer perceptions and expectations about their brand's personality. Yet, most contact centers undercut those efforts by delivering a generic service experience. Branding experts offer insights on how to create a unique and memorable service experience that is aligned with your company's brand promise.

Agility Factor

Multichannel Expertise

By Jay Minnucci

Managing multiple communication channels is a given for the vast majority of contact centers over the next few years. Being adept at all of them will require a redesign of your key practices. Start with the three areas that will make life easier for your frontline staff.

Customer Surveys

Common Survey Research Mistakes: Mistake #6: Lost in Translation

By Fred van Bennekom and Daniel Ord

A charming hotel stay is followed up by a not-so-charming survey. Even a simple, one-screen survey requires careful phrasing and design to gather meaningful, actionable, accurate data.

Inside View

Intralox

By Susan Hash

Intralox's business philosophy stems from the creativity, drive and work ethic established by its founder—an inspired designer who earned 191 U.S. patents and established four companies based on his industry-defining inventions. The company’s culture, leadership and staff still uphold the principles that he passed down: an intense commitment to innovation, integrity and continuous improvement.

Leading Thoughts

Service with a Personal Touch

By Russ Jensen

Automation can't replace good old-fashioned people skills. Customers want to feel like they are a priority. Even if they can’t always get the answer that they want, they expect the truth (whether it’s good news or bad) and they appreciate effort.

Performance Matters

Employee Engagement

By Melissa Kovacevic

When employee engagement is successful, it should also drive customer engagement. However, some contact centers are finding a disconnect between their goals for service quality and employee engagement. The drawbacks of two common methods used to motivate frontline staff.

Strategic Staffing

Top Contact Center KPIs

By Penny Reynolds

Are you measuring what matters to your most important stakeholders? A new look at the top 20 key performance indicators for today’s contact centers.

Tech Line

Multichannel Technology Comes into Its Own

By Lori Bocklund and Brian Hinton

Customers expect communication choices, and companies need to deliver. It’s time to look at your organization’s end-to-end customer experience, within and across channels, eliminate the media silos and treat each channel with respect.

The View from the Saddle

Service Vs. Collaboration

By Paul Stockford

The advent of social media is creating a customer care environment that encourages a collaborative customer care strategy. Paul Stockford examines the impact that collaborative relationships will have on contact center operations.