The Institute of Customer Service’s latest six monthly UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) reveals the lowest figures since 2010 – and marks the fourth consecutive fall in customer satisfaction levels.The overall Index fell from 76.3 in July 2014 to 76.0 in January 2015 – in January 2013 it was 78.2. No fewer than 58% of the organisations (113 brands) in UKCSI have seen their ...
Delivering superior customer service is an increasing challenge for all. Companies need to cover more and more channels while meeting continually growing demands from consumers, often with no corresponding increase in budgets. No wonder that the temptation can be to re-allocate scarce resources away from traditional channels such as email in order to focus more heavily on the likes of social media...
As we’ve discussed in previous Eptica blog posts, companies need to be constantly innovating to meet the changing needs of consumers. Advanced technology, such as systems built on linguistics, which enable organisations to better understand the content and tone of digital interactions such as email, tweets and web chats, are therefore central to delivering a better experience and consequentl...
Organisations today understand that customer service is everyone’s job and cannot be solely left to agents in the contact centre. However, in a multichannel world consumer expectations are high – they want to receive consistent, personalised service no matter how they make contact and certainly don’t want to have to repeat themselves when they move between channels. Customers don...
2014 was an extremely busy year in the customer experience market. The combination of more demanding consumers, new contact channels and increased regulation drove innovation and increased investment in customer service departments as organisations aimed to differentiate themselves from competitors and boost revenues. This increased focus translated into record numbers of visitors to the Epti...
For retailers, the peak Christmas trading period is fundamental to their revenues. However it is also the most competitive time, with everyone looking to increase their share of the £36.5 billion Britons were expected to spend on Christmas shopping. Add in that every year consumers are demanding more, and you can see how difficult it is to deliver the right experience to customers across eve...
The New Year always bring a plethora of predictions as companies and analysts look at what is likely to happen in the next twelve months across the customer experience market.
For many people, online is becoming the default channel for buying Christmas presents, with trips to the High Street relegated to either window shopping for ideas, top up purchases or to pick up Click and Collect orders. Consumer research from Metapack found that 22% of UK respondents planned to do almost all their Christmas shopping online, rising to 29% among the 35 to 44-year-old age group. 85%...
The rise of Millennial Generation - also known as Generation Y – is having a far reaching effect on how companies deliver customer service. If your company has not already started adapting to the requirements of this group, you might be in danger of being left behind. Born between the '80s to the 2000s the Millennials are characterized by a collection of core values and beliefs that...
No retailer needs reminding that Christmas is the busiest time of the year, and a strong peak trading period can make the difference between success and failure for a business. There is therefore a real focus on ensuring that the shopping experience is as seamless as possible in order to drive sales. A key part of this is providing consumers with the information they need clearly and quickly, thro...