Jacada Blog

New Contact Center Technology Needs Traditional Rollout

Industry analysts and management consultants agree there are plenty of new tools on the market that could boost a contact center’s performance. But they caution companies from jumping into a new social contact center technology initiative without tried-and-true change management strategies.

With a business plan, agents are more likely to understand why changes must take place and are therefore more willing to adapt to new processes. Many contact centers are successful when they present new technology to small groups of agents and then gather initial feedback, some of which will find its way into the final product or process. Read the entire Contact Center World article here. 

Check out Jacada's implementation process customized for each client. From critical analysis of existing business processes to the delivery of robust unified desktop solutions, Jacada's experienced and certified business analysts, pre-sales consultants and systems engineers provide a full range of application delivery services.

20% drop in word of mouth opinion sharing - new research shows

Interesting article from destinationcrm.com on why Americans have cut back substantially (since 2008) on the opinions they share by word-of-mouth (WOM) about companies and their offerings. Check it out here.

Engage with your customers in a thoughtful and efficient way - check out Jacada's products for improving customer satisfaction and loyalty. 

Improving Customer Satisfaction: Would Miss Manners Approve?

Regardless of the reasons, it’s interesting that it’s often noteworthy when people aren’t rude. Have you ever had an experience with a customer service representative who stood out—or who made you want to give the company repeat business—because the representative was incredibly helpful and courteous? If such encounters happen frequently, they probably don’t stand out in your mind, but chances are, you notice it when you receive really polite service.

The good news is that people do take note when they’re treated exceptionally well when dealing with companies.  In fact, these customers often write about their customer satisfaction online. Public endorsements for your company? Not a bad goal.

Along with the right customer service desktop solution, a well-placed "please" and "thank you" can go a long way toward increasing customer satisfaction. 

Sprint podcast - Journey to customer service

Interesting podcast detailing Sprint’s 3-year journey to improving customer experience.  Agent metrics, FCR, procedures and training discussed in this Customer Management IQ podcast, “Behind Sprint’s Overhauled Customer Experience Program.” 

For more information on Jacada’s products and services that address agent metrics, FCR and training, click here. 

Keeping Pace with Changing Expectations -The ingredient for a positive customer experience

The right way to communicate with customers is constantly evolving as communications options and consumer expectations change.Having a complete 360-degree view of your customer is more important than ever. Knowing your customers’ preferences gives you the tools to develop very targeted and personalized communications.  Read more of this article by Mary Cook here. 

Click here to read how Jacada helped E.ON with their own 360-degree view of the customer.  

Great Service = More Sales...Winning! (couldn't resist)

That's according to a new American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. Seven in ten Americans (70%) are willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service. 

According to an article by Brendan Read on TMCnet.com, many companies are not getting the math. The study said that 60% of Americans believe businesses have not increased their customer service focus, up from 55% in 2010.  Among this group, 26% think companies are actually paying less attention to service. 

Other stats include: Some 59% of Americans would try a new brand or company for a better service experience. Customers who have a fantastic service experience say friendly representatives (65%) who are ultimately able to solve their concerns (66%) are the most influential. 

Needless to say, good customer service makes a difference! Jacada can help improve your bottom line by streamlining and unifying the agent's desktop.  Automated sign-on and notes, knowledgebase integration, broadcast messaging, quick links, single view of the customer and a unification of multiple applications are just a few of the ways Jacada WorkSpace Unified Desktop can help your company. Contact us for a demo today or click here for more information.

What do customers hate most about contact centers?

Do customers have the most problems with people or processes in contact centers?

Four out of five of the 770 million complaints were about processes customers experienced. Only 20% of customers complained about the people who helped them.

This research (from Customer Contact News) is a good reminder to regularly review the processes customers experience with your contact center. Ask agents for suggestions on how to eliminate one step or combine several. A streamlined process will boost employee and customer satisfaction. Jacada WorkSpace is an award-winning unified desktop that will streamline processes and optimize efficiency.  Contact us today for more details and learn how your contact center can benefit!

Six customer experience excuses exploded

Leading expert Peter Massey sets the record straight on customer service, contact centres and customer experience. Massey speaks with MyCustomer.com about some of the issues facing customer service departments, contact centres and businesses at large when it comes to the customer experience. 

'How do we stop doing dumb things to our customers and our people?' - that's the mantra of Peter Massey, one of the leading figures in the world of customer service and experience. For the last 10 years, Massey's work has focused on reducing customer effort, exploring why companies cause customers to contact them at all and how to optimise customer experiences.

Read more to find out how to remedy 6 common customer experience excuses. Check out Jacada.com for information on products and services that can help the contact centre. No more excuses!

How to master the four customer experience competencies

Check out this great blog by Bruce Temkin, Customer Experience Transformist & Managing Partner, Temkin Group, posted on MyCustomer.com. 

Bruce looks at the findings from a recent survey of companies and outlines what we can learn about efforts to become more 'customer-centric.'

In a recent survey of large companies, he found that 92% of European companies are putting more focus on customer-centric culture this year than they did last year. This represents a much higher level of attention than in North America.

Read the entire article here. Also, check out a webcast featuring Bruce Temkin as part of the Jacada Analyst Series - Turning Contact Centers into Customer Experience Leaders

What not to do!

Oops!  Nothing stings more than bad customer service which can result in a loss of  revenue, reputation and confidence. Poor customer service ultimately resides in the hands of the agent on the line, but really starts way before the call comes in.  Lack of process and technology to handle the calls makes it quite a feat to keep the customer happy and agents end up scrambling to keep up. 

Read this article from TMCnet.com as one writer experiences a breakdown in customer service.