Derek Lewis

The rise of the customer hub

Published on: October 14, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

At a time when customer experience is becoming everyone’s job, it is vital that organizations break down any internal barriers that disrupt the customer journey. Only by working together,across departments, will customers receive the right levels of service and consequently remain loyal to a business.However, many companies remain organized in a traditional departmental...

The widening UK customer experience gap

Published on: September 30, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

In previous decades an organization’s brand was something it controlled, with how it was perceived in the market driven by expensive advertising and marketing campaigns. The rise of social media and increasingly demanding customers has changed all of this. In highly competitive markets brand reputation and values are built on the experience that consumers receive and share on social media.

What the latest Apple launch tells us about customer service

Published on: September 11, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

This week’s launch of the Apple iPhone 6S, iPad Pro and new Apple TV has focused attention on the consumer electronics market, and shows the importance of technology and gadgets to all our lives. The upcoming Christmas season is bound to see billions spent on the latest products, including smartphones, tablets and Ultra HD TVs.

Robots – the future of customer service?

Published on: August 19, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

Recent Forrester research pointed out the importance of understanding customer emotion and creating empathy with consumers if brands are going to deliver a successful customer experience. This was backed up by Eptica’s study ‘The Power of Linguistics: Consumers vs. Agents: Can the Gap be closed?’, which found that nearly a third (31%) of consumers...

Is UK customer service finally improving?

Published on: July 23, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

Every six months the Institute of Customer Service publishes its UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). Run since 2008, the UKCSI both provides a snapshot of current performance by organizations across the country, and allows longer term trends to be measured. The latest index has just been released and is based on over 39,000 responses from more than 10,000 people, cover...

Customer service and the public sector – how can it be improved?

Published on: July 01, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

Last week UK government body HMRC said that it would spend an additional £45m to improve customer service for taxpayers. The money will be used to employ 3,000 more customer-facing staff, with a further 2,000 existing employees moved temporarily to help with the forthcoming tax credits deadline. The investment follows figures which showed that over a quarter (27.5%) ...

Making the travel customer service journey seamless

Published on: March 06, 2015
Author: Derek Lewis

As an industry, the travel sector has been radically changed by the internet. More and more journeys, whether by air or rail, are booked online, and the rise of social media and review sites has provided consumers with the opportunity to give their views on the service they receive. Passengers and guests are consequently becoming more and more demanding when it comes to the customer experience.Rec...

Vivastreet wins the prestigious Voted Customer Service of the Year award in France

Published on: November 13, 2014
Author: Derek Lewis

Congratulations to Eptica customer Vivastreet, which recently won its category, Classifieds, in the Voted Customer Service of the Year Award (Élu Service Client de l’Année 2015*). Vivastreet operates a network of free, classified ads sites around the world, with the award being given for the performance of its French site (www.vivastreet.com).This is the eighth year that the awards have be...

Why good customer experience starts with employees

Published on: October 15, 2014
Author: Derek Lewis

Consultancy Nunwood has just released its latest research into the experience and service offered by UK companies. Based on feedback from 7,500 consumers on 263 brands, it highlights individual success and overall trends in the UK customer experience.The picture it offers is patchy. From the boardroom down, companies recognise the importance of the customer experience to their ongoing success. The...

Reducing complaints in the water industry

Published on: September 24, 2014
Author: Derek Lewis

At a time when consumers are getting ever more demanding, it is good to see that complaints have fallen over the last year in one sector. According to the Consumer Council for Water, an industry watchdog, written complaints made by customers to their water providers have fallen by 18% in 2013/14 compared with the previous year in England and Wales. While four water companies did record a rise in c...

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