Business

Finding the key to managing cross-channel customer service

Published on: October 16, 2013
Author: Eptica

Customers want to interact with companies on an ever-widening number of channels. And while newer channels such as mobile and social media may currently be hitting the headlines, it is vital that customer service teams don’t neglect traditional communication methods such as email, the web and phone.In fact, the total number of contacts, across every channel, is increasing. A recent study by ...

Getting started with knowledge management in customer service

Published on: September 11, 2013
Author: Epticablog

Knowledge is at the heart of delivering a successful, consistent and efficient customer experience whatever type of organisation you are in. Collecting and sharing information, incorporating feedback and keeping centralised knowledge updated is central to delivering superior customer service.However while most managers understand the importance of knowledge, many are simply not sure where to start...

UK travel sector demonstrates disconnect between web and email customer service

Published on: July 05, 2013
Author: Epticablog

The internet has transformed the travel sector, as holidaymakers can now book the separate components of their break online, rather than having to go through high street travel agencies. But in such a competitive market, customer service and fast responses to consumer enquiries across multiple channels are vital if travel companies are going to thrive.However research carried out as part of the Ep...

The coming era of ‘on demand’ marketing

Published on: May 09, 2013
Author: Epticablog

How will consumers interact with brands in the near future? What channels will they use and what sort of experience are they looking for? A new report, ‘The coming era of on-demand marketing’, from consultants McKinsey aims to shed light on these questions and to help companies prepare themselves for this changing world.Essentially McKinsey believes that emerging technologies will mean...

Eptica sponsors Executive Customer Contact Exchange

Published on: April 25, 2013
Author: Epticablog

The customer experience has never been more important to businesses. Channels such as social media enable customers to instantly share their views on brands with the world while advances in web and mobile technology mean that consumers now demand instant answers and a superior experience whatever device or channel they are using.Being able to balance these pressures while operating efficiently and...

The horse meat scandal and customer service

Published on: February 15, 2013
Author: Epticablog

With the discovery of horse meat within a number of processed foods, it is no exaggeration to say that the European food industry is facing one of its biggest challenges since the BSE epidemic. While horse meat itself is safe to eat (unless the horse had been treated with particular drugs), consumers believed they were buying beef-based ready meals and burgers from reputable suppliers and supermar...

Retail squeeze puts customer service centre stage

Published on: March 23, 2012
Author: Epticablog

The current recession is claiming more victims amongst hard-pressed retailers, with Game the latest company to file for administration. And new figures show that it is not just bricks and mortar retailers that are suffering, as UK ecommerce growth is also slowing. While UK shoppers spent £5.4 billion online in February 2012, this was the weakest growth since January 2010, with sales only cli...

Sharing the KNOWHOW knowledge at Christmas

Published on: December 07, 2011
Author: Epticablog

The Christmas shopping season is now in full swing across the UK and competition between retailers has never been fiercer.This is particularly true in the electrical and computing sectors, where consumers have a huge choice of online and offline outlets to buy from. Electrical products are also becoming more complex and converged – for example smart, internet-connected TVs are expected to be...

Offshoring and the impact on customer service

Published on: July 13, 2011
Author: Epticablog

 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...

Indians demand social customer service

Published on: June 07, 2011
Author: Epticablog

 New research has found that more than three times as many Indians use social media for customer service compared to the UK and US. In the study, by analysts Ovum, nearly four in ten Indian consumers had embraced social media to raise customer service queries – in contrast, only 12 per cent of UK and US consumers have done so. Indian consumers both used it positively (to promote good se...

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