Given the current budget pressures on the public sector, there is a major move to outsource services to try to deliver better value for citizens. Whether for central or local government, areas such as IT, payroll, cleaning and waste collection are now being provided by private companies with this trend set to intensify.This affects customer service in two ways – firstly, customer contact is ...
Last week Apple announced record quarterly results, with revenues of nearly $30 billion. The figures include sales of 9.2 million iPads, triple the number sold a year ago. Apple also revealed that 47% of Global Fortune 500 companies were testing the tablet ahead of potential adoption.Clearly, the iPad in particular and tablet computers in general are here to stay. So what does this mean for custom...
The growth of social media over the past few years has been phenomenal, providing completely new ways of communicating for both consumers and brands. By giving everyone a voice it opens up a fresh customer service channel that companies need to embrace.Whether you like it or not consumers will be talking about your company and its products –and you need to join the conversation. So how are t...
When it comes to delivering excellent customer service any organisation that deals with the public can cut response times and improve performance if they invest in the right technology.A great example of this is Eptica customer, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). The world’s oldest and largest animal welfare charity is using Eptica’s leading web custome...
Last weekend the British arm of banking giant Santander became the latest company to announce plans to return its international contact centres to the UK. The aim is to improve customer service, after previous poor performance was highlighted by the industry ombudsman.This is obviously good news for the 500 new UK staff taken on to handle the estimated 1.5 million calls that will now be &lsq...
The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) has just published its latest UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI). Every six months the ICS surveys 26,000 UK adults and asks them questions about their experiences with UK organisations across all channels.Given Eptica recently completed its own research into online customer service it is fascinating to compare the two surveys. Here are the finding...
It is widely acknowledged that the UK is the largest online market in Europe – hitting £44 billion in 2010, and expected to reach £51 billion this year. However other countries are growing as fast, if not faster, with the entire European population turning to email and web channels. Forty per cent of EU consumers bought goods and services over the Internet in 2010, with sal...
The advent of faster ways of connecting to the web means that it is now about much more than text. People are accessing an expanding amount of video content, as shown by the phenomenal growth of sites such as YouTube, which currently receives 3 billion hits per day and adds 48 hours of content every minute.Video consequently has huge potential for delivering customer service. If a picture is...
Failing to answer customer service queries has an obvious impact on an organisation – customers and prospects get upset and vote with their wallets, leading to a loss of sales and a dent to the brand. Nowadays more and more consumers also broadcast their concerns on social media, generating further impact on company reputation.What is less well-explored is the other consequence of customer s...
As we head into the summer, everyone’s thoughts turn to holidays. However a combination of trouble in many Middle Eastern countries, strikes and protests in Greece, and planned tube strikes in London threaten to potentially derail many holiday plans.Of course the vast majority of travel bookings will be unaffected by these issues, but it is vital that holiday companies provide real reassuran...