As we enter 2016, I’m already seeing plenty of predictions about what the year will bring for the customer experience and customer service markets. However, before exploring some of these trends in future blog posts, I’d like to take the opportunity to review 2015 – specifically some of the most popular topics covered by the Eptica blog.Looking through the posts that had the most...
In a more and more complex world, consumers are asking an increasing number of questions – and want fast, accurate answers, whatever channel they use to make contact on. Delivering consistent, accurate and compliant answers is at the heart of delivering the excellent customer service that they require, meaning that knowledge management has moved center stage...
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.
In the past contact centers were often viewed as a cost center, meaning that the primary goal of companies was to run them as efficiently as possible while still responding to customers competently. As companies are becoming more customer-centric, this is approach is changing. Now businesses realize that they need to use the customer experience as a differentiating factor if they want...
Between different countries and demographic groups there is an enormous variation in which channels consumers prefer to use to contact organizations, particularly for customer service. In this multichannel world, companies need to offer all relevant channels, but also have to understand which best fits their requirements of their key demographic groups, so they ensure they deliver superior service...
Employees are at the frontline of delivering the right experience to customers. No matter how strong your processes are, customer service comes down to the people who provide it. Staff who fail to show empathy or, even worse, are rude or sound bored risk damaging your brand and hitting customer loyalty. In comparison, agents who go the extra mile, being helpful...
A research in 2014 from the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) has found that retail is the most complained-about sector in the country. According to the Index, consumer satisfaction with the overall retail sector declined significantly, dropping by 3.5%
Fast access to the right information, in the right form, is an essential part of delivering excellent customer service. Whether it is through self-service systems on the web, or providing agents on the phone, email, social media or chat channels with consistent and accurate information, knowledge is the cornerstone of a successful customer experience.A company’s knowledge base...
New research from Ombudsman Services has found that retail is the most complained-about sector in the UK. According to the organization’s Consumer Action Monitor there were 18.5 million complaints to retailers in 2014, 28% of the UK’s total, split evenly between online and in-store transactions. Retail was far ahead of telecoms (15%) and energy (11%), when it came to attracting co...
Now that the clocks have gone forward, the weather is improving and the Easter break is nearly upon us, many people are setting to work on de-cluttering their houses and sprucing up their gardens. For those of us working in customer service, it is a good time to apply the same spring clean mentality to our contact centers, blowing away the cobwebs and ensuring that everything is performing smoothl...