In June 2010, Bruce Temkin (customer experience thought leader and Managing Partner of Temkin Group) released an insightful report called "The Four Customer Experience Core Competencies." Mr. Temkin acknowledges that while most companies WANT to be "customer experience" leaders, few understand HOW to make meaningful changes required for sustained differentiation. The report identifies the four (as you...

Over the last five or ten years, organizations have started to take the concept of Customer Experience Management more and more seriously. So what exactly is "Customer Experience Management"? Well … Wikipedia (the ultimate authority in the packaging and distribution of information) defines customer experience as, "the sum of all experiences a customer has with...

Have you given your agents a hug lately? These folks have a challenging job. Using the common military analogy, the call center agent constitutes the "front line" of the business. When a customer is unhappy, they ring the call center. When the customer has a question, they ring the call center. When...

Do you have a mobile phone? If I play the odds, it's a pretty safe bet that you do. The CTIA (who has a particular interest in mobile phone usage) indicates that 91% of the U.S. population has at least one mobile device. Furthermore, nearly 23% of Americans have "cut the cord" completely...

Would you rather talk to a live agent or take matters into your own hands through self-service? As with most things in life, the correct answer is "it depends". It depends on the nature of the transaction (eg, sales, customer service, technical support, etc.) It depends on the accessibility / usability / availability of...

In the ideal world, a "customer service" agent would perform admirably whether the customer chooses to interact over the phone or through email. This scenario is easier to manage and to staff, and it often contributes to improved efficiencies as agents can be more thoroughly utilized. The reality, however, is that those agents best suited...

Web chat tends to be far more preferred by the younger generation than the older generation (and it seems "younger" is about 25 years old. Of course it doesn't have to be this way, both customers and agents are likely to fall closely to this demographic. The multi-media contact center needs to evaluate how to...