Meet the virtual face of Co-Op Bank’s customer-friendly IT initiative

Co-Op Bank is using IT to underpin its customer-first ethos and Howard Kendall introduces Mia, a virtual assistant which could soon transform all service delivery.

Help us create a lasting solution to apathetic banking customer service

Poor service levels offered by UK banks may be caused by a virtual monopoly, but government intervention will not solve the problem.  James West explains what must happen for real change to occur, and how we can all help.

Customer service under scrutiny thanks to free wifi

Customer experience expected to be under scrutiny during London Olympics, with free wifi fuelling communication in the capital.

UK businesses outselling US in multi-channel stakes

UK businesses sell almost twice as much via multi-channel as US counterparts because of multi-channel integration

Quidco's new blog - what's the deal?

Membership based cash-back site Quidco launch a new blog offering to entertain and inform smart shoppers, but will it be more than just a quick-fire barrage of deals and discounts?

Southwest Airlines goes off script

A Southwest Airlines flight announcement becomes a viral video worldwide - see what this flight attendant does differently...

Stop blaming your agents! Five reasons why service is really failing

Agents don’t need any motivation to provide good service, but they do need our support.  James West says it's time to stop looking in the wrong places and start focusing on the real reasons why service fails.

Offshore honeymoon is over as businesses count the cost of outsourcing

80 per cent of organisations won’t offshore contact centres because of negative service impact

Customer experience tarnished by stuffy corporate policies

Embracing social media channels is essential for improving the customer experience.

Social media gives consumers the power

Consumers are becoming more vocal about customer service via social media, with 49 per cent unlikely to do business with companies that receive bad reviews.

Businesses fail to fully understand social media

Businesses still treat social media as a marketing channel, ignoring customer interactions.

Customer Service Training Network December meeting

Customer Service TV at the December CSTN meeting. Watch short interviews with speakers and delegates and hear about their New Years Service Resolutions

Retailers need to be clear with Christmas delivery dates, or lose customers

UK consumers likely to leave Christmas shopping until the last minute, even though 85 per cent of websites don't make clear their holiday delivery dates.

Co-Op Bank reduces call waiting times with virtual adviser

Co Op introduces virtual contact centre assistant

Improving Performance in the Contact Centre

Customer Service TV went along to Business Systems' conference to find out from delegates what is really happening in UK contact centres today.  Watch the video clips to find out what they say are the big issues from changing customer expectations  to employee engagement and how are these being addressed. 

thetrainline.com extends customer service focus to mobile app

A mobile app from the thetrainline.com which allows customers to check times and book tickets on the move now includes a number of support options.  Go to full article

Customer Service TV at CSN Annual Conference

Interviews from the annual Customer Service Network conference

Views from Customer Service Training Network event

Interviews from the latest Customer Service Training Network event on 10 November, hosted by British Council.

Airline gets sky-high survey response rate

Airline Alitalia offers bespoke surveys to passengers to improve customer experience

Business have ‘one chance’ to get service right

Customer service has become more important during the recession according to 47 per cent of UK consumers.

Businesses failing to deliver social media service experience

Less than half of businesses engage in social media, with only 16 per cent seeing it as a key customer service channel

 

Poor treatment of customers nets Npower £2 million fine

Utility company Npower fined £2 million for customer complaint failings.

RightNow purchased by Oracle for $1.5 billion

The customer service technology landscape was dramatically reshaped this week after Oracle announced its intention to spend $1.5 billion acquiring customer experience software specialist RightNow.

Why are customers loyal to Apple and not Blackberry?

Are consumers so blinded by the brushed aluminium they fail to see Apple’s shortcomings?  Why are Blackberry customers quick to jump to a rival ship when the network fails?  James West says there are important lessons from both technology providers about why customers are loyal, and what it takes to ensure they stick with you during tough times. 

Azzurri aims to match callers with best agent

Azzurri promises to match make customers and agents with contact centre management suite.

Web chat finally fulfilling its promise?

35 per cent of UK organisations will offer web chat within the next 12 months.

American Airlines 'most hated' on social media

American Airlines is the world's 'most hated airline on social media' according to social media analytics firm Amplicate.

Alternate contact channels gaining on call centres

Telephone still most popular method of contacting customer service, but consumers starting to embrace new technology.

Leadership lessons from dancing guy

Funny and educational - this video was used in a recent TED conference. Learn how to spread enthusiasm and motivation in your organisation/community.

Mobile devices quickest growing retail channel

Using smartphones and tablets to shop is expected to grow by 55 per cent over the next five years.

Terry Tate staff motivation commercial

Very funny video.  Can Terry keep your organisation focused?

Multi-channel support is cheaper than phone-only service

Phone-only support route is more expensive in the long run than offering efficient multi-channel support.

Offering multi-channel service is a win-win situation

Invest in multiple service channels for long-term cost savings.

Zappos CEO Speaks at Net Promoter® Conference

A good reminder that repeat customers are our lifeblood...

Customer service employee numbers triple in eight years

The number of people employed in customer service roles in the UK has tripled in eight years, accounting for 328,000 jobs across the country, according to the Institute of Customer Service (ICS).

KLM surprise

Great video by KLM

TalkTalk receives most complaints but shows improvement

TalkTalk is the most complained about landline and fixed broadband services provider according to figures released by Ofcom.

I wanna be like Gatorade

Kudos for Gatorade for not just embracing social media, but making an awesome video telling us about it...

Small companies can become “social enterprises” says Salesforce.com

Salesforce.com says it can now help companies of all sizes deliver multi-channel service after it acquired help desk software company Assistly.

Social media reviews have major impact on consumer preferenceses

More than three-quarters of people who become aware of bad customer service via social media avoid doing business with the offending company according to research from Convergys.

Telephone identified as the most annoying customer service channel

Nearly half of UK consumers find call centres the most frustrating method of raising customer service issues, according to a study by analyst Econsultancy.