Contact Center

Maintaining customer service levels at the busiest times of the year

Published on: November 28, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

One of the most frustrating experiences for consumers is calling a company with a query and being met with a recorded message saying 'we are experiencing high call volumes at present, please hang up and try later'. Frustration can boil over into anger if they receive the same message on numerous occasions, particularly if it includes the advice to check the company website for information ...

Moving on from desktop email

Published on: November 26, 2014
Author: Dharmesh Ghedia

With 144.8 billion emails sent every day, it continues to be a vital channel for customer service. Indeed, the rise of mobile devices, which allow consumers to quickly email wherever they are, means that the number of messages companies receive is actually growing.With many midsize organisations receiving over quarter of a million emails every year, coping with email customer service can be a stru...

Online reviews and the impact on customer service

Published on: November 21, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

Since online reviews became prevalent, championed by the likes of Amazon, their impact has spread widely across multiple industries. This has been driven by three main factors:The growth of ecommerce means that consumers are increasingly buying goods that they’ve not been able to see in person, meaning that they want assurance as to product quality.It gives buyers the opportunity to benchmar...

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...

2015 and the rise of customer experience

Published on: November 12, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

All companies understand the importance of delivering a superior customer experience (CX). The combination of intense competition, more demanding customers and an increasing range of channels, mean that organisations have to continually improve the service that they offer to consumers if they are to retain business, whatever sector they are in.However, achieving a consistent customer experience is...

Keeping agent morale high at peak times

Published on: November 07, 2014
Author: Anne-Merete Jensen - Senior Business Consultant

As we move into the busiest part of the year for many contact centres, keeping staff morale high is even more crucial for delivering fast, efficient service. At the same time, contact centres are taking on extra staff to cope with demand, all of whom need to be motivated and trained to be ambassadors for your brand.Together, these factors add to the pressure on contact centre operations. How can y...

How close are we to the omnichannel future?

Published on: November 05, 2014
Author: Lloyd Buxton - Business Development

Customer service is continually evolving. Driven by customer needs and channel expansion the original telephone-only call centres have added new contact methods, such as email, chat and social media, to become multichannel customer engagement centres. However the biggest shift is still ongoing – from a silo-based channel by channel approach to a more integrated, seamless and consistent omnic...

Social customer service: the benefits and challenges

Published on: October 31, 2014
Author: Pauline Ashenden - Demand Generation Manager

As multiple studies show, social media is now a key channel for customer service. A J.D. Power study found that two thirds of customers who contacted a company on social media did so for customer service. Businesses understand this, but delivering the right level of service can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to integrating with other channels and scaling to meet demand. So, what are cu...

Overcoming the basic customer service pitfalls with technology

Published on: October 29, 2014
Author: Dharmesh Ghedia

I recently read a really interesting blog by Thomas Laird that looks at some of the underlying reasons that companies struggle with customer service. What struck me was how many of these issues could be solved with well-implemented technology to support agents doing their jobs.Here’s a précis of Thomas’s five points, along with my comments on where technology adds value.1 . Who runs y...

Measuring the Voice of the Customer

Published on: October 24, 2014

Understanding what customers want, what they like and incorporating their ideas into future products and services is central to improving customer engagement. This in turn builds loyalty and customer recommendations, driving further sales.Consequently most large organisations run Voice of the Customer (VoC) programmes that aim to collect data from consumers and use it to make changes that impact t...

Pages