Know Your Customers

May 7, 2012 — Kelly

I recently came across a blog post titled, “Well, she did write like a 9-year old;” the title caught my eye and I had to read further.  The post chronicles a customer service interaction between the blogger and one of his readers.  The case opened with the customer writing to the blogger:  “steve i dont like you leve me olone.”

Steve, the blogger initially writes back with respect, but the conversation quickly deteriorates, with Steve, self-admittedly feeling ornery, eventually telling the reader, “I would suggest that you attend some sort of class in spelling or grammar, so that your emails come across more professionally. It’s hard to take someone seriously who writes like a 9-year old.”  Ouch.

And then we come to the best part, the reader’s final response: “i am 9 stupid.”

Steve wraps up with a final lesson of, “When you’re performing customer service, just grin and bear it. The customer is always right. Or nine.”

While the customers might not always be right, sometimes customer service agents might just need to grin and bear it.  Even when customers might not be particularly well-spoken, or even if they write like 9-year-olds, they still deserve respect.  While it’s an unusually comic example from the realm of customer service, the point made applies to all customers, ages 9 or 109!

Posted in Uncategorized. 1 Comment »

Social media strategy

April 26, 2012 — Kelly

I admit that I’m way behind in my reading these days, but I’m glad I didn’t just toss the pile into the recycling.  In the February 27, 2012 issue of Information Week magazine, I found a great article that was almost information overload about integrating your marketing and CRM strategy with your social media presence.

The basic premise of the article is that “your company is all over Facebook and Twitter, but until IT integrates marketing and customer service systems, it’s just all show.”  There is no doubt that a social media presence is quickly becoming a business necessity for both customer service and marketing.  The author, Doug Henschen, includes results from an Accenture survey that shows that nearly a quarter of customers said that they are more likely to do business with a company that they can interact with through social media.

He offers some specific suggestions about how IT and customer service departments can collaborate to improve your social media efforts:

  • Ensure data security and regulatory compliance in your social media efforts.  Given the lack of privacy in social media platforms, companies need to be sure that all interactions are secure and free of regulatory violations.  Partnering with IT can reduce risk.
  • Identify a formal process for identifying and handling customer complaints made in social media platforms.  Henschen notes that 66% of companies have a social media presence, but only 17% of companies have a formal process for managing customer relationships on social platforms!
  • Brainstorm ways to improve customer service through social media personas.  He cites one company that uses Facebook to understand who their “customers are, what they like, what other brands they value, what kind of music they like, where they shop.”  Imagine the possibilities of having access to this information without having to manage customer surveys!

Henschen isn’t trying to convince you that use of social media is necessary; however, a mere presence is not enough and companies need to find a way for IT, marketing, and customer service to collaborate to create and implement a real social media strategy.  Working with IT to create and implement a social media plan is only the beginning of the process.  IT, marketing, and customer service will all continue to be partners in your company’s social media strategy.

Posted in Business, Customer service, Social media, Web. No Comments »

Customer Satisfaction Surveys Don’t Necessarily Tell All

April 16, 2012 — Camille

In case you haven’t seen this month’s issue of CRM Magazine, there are some interesting customer feedback stats you should check out.  Many companies have started monitoring social media for comments and complaints posted by customers.  Leonard Klie at CRM Magazine reports on research from analyst firms Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies which involved more than 1,400 U.S. consumers:

  • Only 35% of the negative reviews or complaints posted online are responded to by the company the customer is complaining about
  • When a response is given, 39% of customers were satisfied, 35% were indifferent, and 26% were dissatisfied
  • 27% of consumers typically complete customer satisfaction surveys
    • 57% said they give feedback to help improve the company
    • 35% of customers complete satisfaction surveys to register a complaint

That last statistic is what surprised me the most.  It’s always been my thought that consumers that fully complete a satisfaction survey are either extremely satisfied or at least somewhat dissatisfied with the product or service they received.  My guess would have been that many more customers would want to register a complaint when given a customer satisfaction survey.  This just goes to show that companies must delve much deeper to ensure customers are happy.  It’s very likely that many more than 35% of customers are unhappy, and that means a higher risk of attrition, or consumers switching to a competitor, before the company even knows of the dissatisfaction.

When sending out surveys, remember to pay attention to the response rate and realize that non-responders may or may not be satisfied.

Posted in Business, Customer service, Social media. 1 Comment »

Using QR Codes for Customer Service

March 22, 2012 — Kelly

The March 2012 issue of CRM includes an article asking, “Who Benefits from QR Codes?”.  The author, Leonard Klie, highlights the increasing prevalence of these Quick Response (QR) codes on “virtually any flat surface – from ads in magazines to billboards on subway platforms.”  Last month, we shared some ideas for integrating these codes into your contact center, such as allowing your agents to use the codes as customers might, as well as tracking the usefulness of the codes during customer contacts.

However, even with these little squares appearing everywhere, Klie writes that “consumer adoptions remains low, and fragmented implementation options have led to consumer and marketer confusion.”  To increase customer adoption of QR codes in your business, think of ways that you can make this tool more effective and appealing for the users.

Focus and variety:  QR codes typically connect the user to a corporate website; however, you can think outside the box to utilize some of the more unique capabilities.  QR codes can also generate a new email, text, tweet, or phone call.   You could include a code that generates a phone call to your contact center or that links directly to your customer service web page.  If the QR code is a web link, improve the focus or depth of information on the site.  Rather than linking to the main corporate site, link directly to something that will appeal to the expected user of that particular code:

  • User tutorials embedded in instruction manuals
  • Recipes embedded on food product packaging
  • Interest rates or loan specials embedded in bank statements

Customer benefits:  Klie states that there are about 14 million “early adopters” of QR codes, and that 20% of those early adopters ultimately made a purchase.  How can you appeal to these users, so that they become real trendsetters in the use of these codes? Sometimes, that purchase is the goal (and therefore a benefit) for the user; however, there are other ways that you can uniquely benefit your user through these codes:

  • Coupons available only through the code
  • Direct links to user discussion groups
  • Free downloads only through the code

The accessibility of QR codes and similar technologies offers a unique opportunity to reach your tech-savvy customers.  How can you improve your use of QR codes to better serve your customers?

Posted in Business, Customer service, Technology. 3 Comments »

Choosing the Right LCD for Your Contact Center

March 15, 2012 — Jackie

After traveling to visit some of our customers last week, I realized most them were deploying LCD screens in their contact centers.  When discussing upgrading or expanding, they wanted a “best practices” guide for choosing the right LCD to fit their needs.  After conducting some research, I hope the following outline helps anyone on the hunt for an LCD in their contact center.

Top Considerations:

Brand/Type

Any brand that meets your size requirements and quality needs of your installation.  LCD technology is strongly recommended over plasma, due to plasma burn-in issues.  Also remember that certain companies have contracts with vendors so you should first find out if there’s a specified LCD vendor you need to use.

Connectivity

Ensure that you know about any VGA, HDMI, or DVI connections that might be needed.

Resolution

We tell customers that 1920 x 1080 is the recommended minimum resolution.  In cases where video will be extended to the LCD signage, confirm that 1920 x 1080 is possible via the VGA-DB-15 port.

Screen Size & Placement

Larger screens can display more content at a larger size.  It’s important to first plan out what you want to display on your screen and how far you want to be able to read it.  Remember: Lighting conditions greatly affect visibility.

Audio

Modern LCD displays typically have built-in sound functions, however these may not be loud enough for your location and consideration should be made if sound will be required for the digital signage.

Consumer vs. Professional Grade

The chart below, provided by EZ-DigiSign, identifies the general differences between commercial and consumer type displays.

Posted in Business, Call Center Management, Call Center Resources, Digital signage, Uncategorized. 1 Comment »

Call Center Analytics in a Multichannel Environment

March 12, 2012 — Camille

I recently read David Myron’s “Front Office” column in this month’s issue of CRM Magazine.  In this issue, he discusses the profound effect social media has had on the customer service and support markets.  Myron points out that these new social media channels introduce a host of new data to process and manage.  He quotes Laurie McCabe, founder and analyst at the SMB Group, in a December 2011 CRM article saying “The more things we do, the more data we generate.  That data can’t just sit; it has to be used to have any value.”  I whole-heartedly agree with both Myron and McCabe, and we’ve even written blog posts before on spending too much time on reports that don’t add value to your strategic decision making.

Your call center analytics strategy should be aligned with the overall corporate strategy.  Find out what the corporate objectives are and from there you’ll know what your analytics strategy should be.  In a multichannel environment, for example, you can develop call center analytics to help support the overall social strategy your company has laid out.  You can display RSS feeds from social sites, like Twitter, on dashboards and digital signage in your call center.  You can even incorporate a call center analytics social media view into your digital signage displays where your call center and social media stats can show up alongside your actual social media webpages.

Here is a view we developed here at Inova showing our corporate blog with our Twitter feed and corporate brochures:

You could easily take this basic layout and place your call center analytics and stats where we have our digital signage brochure.  This would allow agents to see vital metrics and changing business conditions and keep up with what’s happening with your organization in social media.  You even have the ability to rotate the webpages between each of your social sites; so you can show your Facebook page for a designated time period then automatically switch to your Twitter page, LinkedIn page, Pintrest, and so on.

The key is to align your call center analytics with corporate objectives so you can focus on the metrics and reports that add value to your center and your company.

Posted in Business, Call Center Management, Social media. No Comments »

Call Center Messaging Dos and Don’ts

February 23, 2012 — Maureen

A lot happens behind the scenes at contact centers to ensure an optimal customer service experience on the other end of the line. Supervisors and agents must monitor incoming calls and react quickly to the often unpredictable ebb and flow of call volume to accommodate every caller. There is a plethora of messaging technology on the market – LED wallboards, digital signage, desktop messaging software, etc – to help contact centers communicate and coordinate efficiently. However, this technology is only useful if administrators make the most of it. Here are a few tips on creating messages that get your point across.

Do:

  • Be brief. There is a reason Twitter only allows 140 characters in its posts. It is because the average attention span can’t tolerate much more, and busy agents who are multitasking on the phone are no exception.
  • Automate. If your historic call center metrics reports indicate that callers begin to abandon after a certain wait time, then set an automated alert to pop up when your wait time hits that threshold. The message should indicate the status of the queue as well as give instructions for reducing the wait time. No need to do these steps manually when technology allows you to automate it.
  • Consider readability. LCD digital signs can display colorful, media rich content, but when designing views, don’t forget the distance from which your agents will be viewing the text. For key textual notifications, be sure to enlarge the font substantially, or consider using LED wallboards, which have increased readability from greater distances. Desktop messaging software is also a good alternative when office layouts make group signage impractical.

Don’t:

  • Use the same message for everyone. If agents from one skill group are sent irrelevant messages that only apply to another group, they will learn to tune out all messages, and the important ones won’t get a second look.
  • Oversend. Along the same lines, sending messages too frequently dilutes the meaning of any one individual message. Choose carefully what is important enough to interrupt your team.

What other considerations should you take when composing and sending messages to your call center team? Share your ideas here.

Posted in Call Center Management, Performance Management. 2 Comments »

Integrating call center digital signage with corporate signage initiatives

February 16, 2012 — Camille

I recently read an article about the convergence of media and technology and how digital signage “will become the ‘go-to’ method for business to reach out to its consumers.”  The article focused on driving sales with digital signage in retail outlets, but it got me thinking about how converging media and company-wide digital signage affects call centers.

Aside from displaying call center metrics, how can call center digital signage be used in conjunction with digital signage in a company’s retail outlets?  Here are a few ideas that will provide synergy between your call center and your company’s retail outlets and help reduce the perception of the cell center being a “cost” center:

  • Show your call center agents the same information that retail customers are being shown.  This will allow agents to become familiar with retail initiatives and remind customers of on-going promotions when they contact the call center.  One of our customers previews new commercials to their call center agents before the commercials are shown on TV.  This keeps agents in the loop about what the company is promoting and any special offers going on.  Providing agents with this information also gives them good conversation starters for dialogue with the customer while the agent is locating the data needed to solve the customer’s request.
  • Have technology in-house for agents to use just as customers do.  If your retail outlets use QR codes for customers to get more information, have the same QR codes posted around your call center with a company smartphone agents can use to scan the QR codes.  When agents experience this process just as customers do, they’ll have a better understanding of the customer experience and become better equipped to assist these customers.  Same goes for smartphone and tablet apps; if your company has an app, have the appropriate smartphones and/or tablets in-house for agents to use and experience the app just as the customer does.
  • If possible, work with your marketing department to track which customers have accessed information by QR codes and/or used the company’s app.  When a customer calls in that has used the QR codes or app, agents can talk to them about it and ask about their experience.  Finding out right from the customers if the content was helpful and if the app was easy to use will be invaluable to your marketing department.  Especially if agents are able to experience using the company’s QR codes and apps, they can have a great conversation with customers about the experience.

Integrating your call center digital signage with corporate-wide signage will keep everyone in the organization informed and enhance the effectiveness of your overall digital signage initiative.

Posted in Business, Customer service, Digital signage, Technology. No Comments »

Using Scheduling and Thresholds in LightLink

February 14, 2012 — Kelly

The first several months of our LightLink OnCourse Complimentary sessions have been hugely successful.  We’ve used this platform to highlight some of the lesser known features of the LightLink system.  Many LightLink users are comfortable with the basic messaging features, but often don’t recognize some of these bonus features that can make the system even more robust!  Currently, we are preparing for our next topic:  using scheduling and thresholds for your LightLink messages.  Both schedules and thresholds allow you to better customize and control the messages on your displays.

You can create message schedules so that messages play at particular times.  You can specify the time, day of the week, date, and duration for your message.  While you preset the time for scheduled messages, threshold messages are triggered by a predetermined data point.  Creating thresholds as part of your LightLink displays allows you to set a trigger that will initiate a new message or change on your display.  Threshold messages are especially beneficial because, once created, they essentially run themselves and there is no need for you to continually manage the messages.  Consider some of the following common examples of thresholds:

  • A color change from green to yellow and a warning sound to indicate that calls waiting is approaching a dangerously high number.
  • A new, full screen message that asks agents to apologize for exceptionally long delays when the average speed of answer is unusually high.
  • A new message that covers the whole screen congratulating employees for achieving a milestone goal.

Customers with active support agreements are invited to join us at 2:00 pm EDT on February 23 to learn more about creating and managing message schedules and thresholds.

Posted in Call Center Resources, Training. No Comments »

Key Considerations for Developing Remote Agent Programs

February 9, 2012 — Maureen

At-home agent programs are still growing in popularity for domestic call centers. Not only do they reduce overhead costs of housing in-house agents, but they contribute to higher CSR job satisfaction and allow companies to hire employees with specialized skills that may not exist in their local market. There are even low-cost reporting solutions that make management of at-home agents more seamless.

However, there are certain things that a smart call center manager should keep in mind to ensure that the at-home agent program will be successful. I was recently reading Contact Center Pipeline, where industry expert Susan Hash had some great reminders of things to keep in mind for at-home agent management. She suggested creating a “virtual community,” that is, a way for your remote agents to feel connected to their coworkers, managers, and the company in general. The importance of this connection cannot be overlooked, not only for logistical reasons but also because feeling like part of a team is what makes your workforce successful.

Hash also discussed the importance of screening potential at-home workers for suitability to work in that environment. The type of employee that would be successful working at home may be different from those who succeed in an office environment. In addition, many managers aren’t experienced in supervising remote agents. Providing some targeted training sessions and equipping them with call center software tools to help them monitor remote agent activity will go a long way. Finally, Hash reminds us that remote agent employment brings with it a host of HR and legal considerations that should not be overlooked.

Many call centers are making remote agent programs a key part of their strategy in 2012. If handled correctly, it just might be the right way to cut costs and maintain productivity. What other considerations are important when developing such a program? How has it worked for your center?

Posted in At-home and remote agents, Call Center Management, Performance Management. No Comments »
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