CSUK TV - Brought to You By SDI

Why the in-store purchasing experience is increasingly being defined by mobile sites - not the shop assistants.

Companies exploiting trust in peer-to-peer recommendations set to face fines - plus long term damage to brand reputation.

Contract confusion becomes epidemic in mobile sector; what is going wrong?

Find out how Sarah re-designed the training programme at LV to improve overall customer satisfaction

We recently interviewed these Customer Service Training Network Award Winners at their Essex offices and asked them what makes Family Mosaic stand out from the crowd for their customer service and training.

It’s official: voice calls are on the decline, with the younger generation preferring texts and social media for speaking to suppliers and peers. James West questions whether the shift to text is the beginning of the end for call centres.

Customers tired of suppliers abusing their data are develop a worryingly deep distrust for all companies - not just banks.

Just 27 per cent of contact centres can maintain a coherent dialogue when customers switch channels.

"Shoppers appreciate Amazon's and other online retailers' slick, personalised service to such an extent that physical stores simply have to shape up to survive", says Therese van Wyk in an article for ITweb.co.za

Public opinion of banks in the last few weeks has sunk to an all time low.  Yet our belief that those responsible for scandals are untouchable is fuelling the toxic financial services culture.  James West explains how a seemingly small gesture from all of us could ignite a fire which sweeps customer service change through the banking sector.

RBS’ response to furious customers unable to access cash and make crucial payments because of IT failure will be used as a case study for how customer service responds to a crisis.  James West cedes that studying the scenario could be useful, but says we must consider a more profound conclusion: RBS has proven that the concept of having a customer service ‘department’ must end.

Are call centres being relegated to a second line support role as customers move online?

A report by SMG (Service Management Group) analysing responses from over 100,000 UK customers has concluded that poor levels of service could be costing companies up to £45b in lost sales. 

In an exclusive interview with John Lewis, Simon Skelton explains how technology is working in harmony with a 'hero culture' to help maintain John Lewis' exemplary customer service record. 

Howard Kendall shares his thoughts on the issue of women in senior roles, specifically within service desk and customer service industry.

Customer Service TV's Howard Kendall spoke at this event where the host Butlins revealed their customer experience strategy 'The 1st TWO HOURS' in the standout message of the day.

Barry Ibbetson, head of corporate contact centre for Leeds City Council, tells CSUKTV that call centres are still invaluable, how to prepare for social media support without being overwhelmed by hype, and why not all service levels are created equal. 

We ask delegates at the CEN Directors Forum about their plans for using social media to help engage customers.

James West reports: ignoring customer contact through social media will soon be as damaging to relationships as failing to pick up the phone or responding to an email.

Journalist and CSUKTV blogger James West follows up the #switchbanks campaign with a look at one of the new banks on the block who really walks the walk when it comes to focusing on service

Discover Bill Price's 'Best Service is No Service' principles for better service, lower costs and happy customers

Less than half of consumers understand the cost implications of smart-meters, casting doubts over the value of the project to roll out of 30 million devices at a cost of an estimated £11 billion. 

End of free banking? We’ll #switchbanks

Watch interviews from speakers at the Customer Engagement Network's March event.

Big banks refusing to respond to customers disillusioned by poor service levels may find themselves made redundant by other means, with rapid improvements in technology threatening to severely diminish their role.

Customer Service TV wants your nominations for banking providers offering top service to those seeking to #switchbanks.

James West explains why drastic change is needed

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 introduces virtual contact centre assistant

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. 

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

Interviews from the annual Customer Service Network conference

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

Airline Alitalia offers bespoke surveys to passengers to improve customer experience

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Very funny video.  Can Terry keep your organisation focused?

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

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

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

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).

Great video by KLM

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

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

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

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.

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