For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Next-Generation Contact Centers

Solutions To Keep Pace With Your Customers

by Elizabeth Herrell, November 11, 2009

Contact center customer support needs to evolve to better serve customers who no longer rely on one venue for receiving information but instead engage multiple sources. In addition to checking a company's Web site and its brochures, many customers research . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The Reality Of Customer Service In Europe: How Europeans Use And Rate Service Channels

by Patti Freeman Evans, October 9, 2009

With 51% of European adults having sought company support in the past three months, customer service must be a key component of any company retention strategy. We found that Europeans favor traditional service channels like the phone and in-store interaction, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

To Invest Wisely, Know The Business Value Of Diverse CRM Solutions

by William Band, September 30, 2009

To help customer relationship management (CRM) professionals make smart decisions and navigate the complex CRM technology landscape, Forrester surveyed 286 companies. The goal was to determine the business value-add adjusted for uncertainty of 19 types . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: Yola.com Achieves Customer Service Scalability Goal Using Social Media

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Chip Gliedman, Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., September 28, 2009

Yola.com is an online Web site builder that allows anyone to easily create, publish, and host a Web site. Founded in 2007 on the premise that Web site creation should be easy if publishing tools focused less on the technology and more on the user experience, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: Cisco Consumer Business Group Builds The Business Case For Social Media

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., September 28, 2009

Consumer Business Group (CBG) — formerly Linksys — is a division of Cisco that offers a wide variety of consumer and small office voice over IP (VoIP) and networking solutions such as routers, switches, and storage systems under the Linksys by Cisco brand. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: NetApp Marketing Takes Ownership Of Its Community Initiative To Ensure Success

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Chip Gliedman, Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., September 28, 2009

NetApp is an industry-leading provider of storage and data management solutions. It has a presence in more than 100 countries; thousands of customers and a network of more than 2,200 partners; and a culture of innovation, technology leadership, and customer . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: Intel Uses Social Media To Transform The Customer Experience

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., September 28, 2009

Most people know Intel as a provider of microprocessors for large manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, and HP. However, a large proportion of Intel's business comes from an elaborate network of customers, including resellers, from around the globe. To effectively . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Footwear Manufacturers' Cross-Channel Experience, 2009

An Industry Look At This Year's Best And Worst Of Cross-Channel Design

by Adele Sage, September 18, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 16 firms, Forrester evaluated the cross-channel experiences of four large footwear manufacturers — adidas, New Balance, Nike, and Puma. Overall, the footwear manufacturers lagged relative to most of the other industries. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Nationwide Insurance Uses Mobile To Offer Customers Self Service On The Road

A Mobile POST Case Study

by Julie A. Ask, Chad Mitchell, September 11, 2009

Nationwide Mutual Insurance was the first US insurer to develop a custom mobile application for the Apple iPhone. The firm's mobile application offers customers the ability to file a claim and upload pictures of an accident, follow a detailed accident . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How To Improve Searchable Self-Service Online

eBusiness Professionals Must Focus On Site Search And FAQs To Deflect Call Center Calls

by Diane Clarkson, September 11, 2009

Searchable self-service and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are among the most commonly accessed customer service touchpoints, but there is a lot of room for improvement. Poor performance plaguing searchable self-service and FAQs surfaced in a recent . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: Lenovo Takes Ownership Of Social Media To Reduce Customer Service Costs

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., August 14, 2009

When Lenovo acquired the IBM PC Computing division, it saw that customers were talking about its products in third-party forums like notebookreview.com and thinkpads.com, and it worried that it was being left out of these important conversations. Lenovo . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: ACT! By Sage Uses Social Media To Transform The Customer Experience

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., August 14, 2009

Sage North America, a leading provider of customer relationship and contact management software to small- and medium-sized businesses, faced the twin challenges of unhappy customers and a sinking economy. One specific brand, ACT! by Sage, was tasked to . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Best Practices: Five Strategies For Customer Service Social Media Excellence

Use Social Technologies To Improve Customer Experiences And Lower Costs

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., August 14, 2009

As consumers rapidly adopt social media — and use it to voice their displeasure about brands and complain about products and services — customer service professionals struggle with how best to harness the power of the cloud to transform customer experiences. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: Infusionsoft Improves Customer Experience Via Social Media

Best Practices In Customer Service Social Media

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., Chip Gliedman, August 14, 2009

Infusionsoft is a Web-based provider of marketing automation software aimed at the true small business with fewer than 25 employees. Infusionsoft wanted to leverage a community of users of its products to simultaneously reduce costs and improve customer . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Online Retail Customer Service Availability Needs Some Improvement

Retail eBusiness Customer Service And Support Benchmark, 2009

by Diane Clarkson, Elizabeth Stark, August 7, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 90 Web sites, Forrester evaluated the accessibility and availability of online customer service and support among 30 leading retail Web sites. Retail sites scored the highest compared to other industries reviewed, with . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Financial Web Sites Need Customer Service Help

Financial Services eBusiness Customer Service And Support Benchmark, 2009

by Diane Clarkson, Elizabeth Stark, July 31, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 90 Web sites, Forrester evaluated the availability of online customer service and support among 30 leading financial services Web sites. Forrester found that most sites delivered inconsistent customer service availability, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Travel Web Site Customer Service Is Far From Perfect

Travel eBusiness Customer Service And Support Benchmark, 2009

by Diane Clarkson, Elizabeth Stark, July 27, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 90 Web sites, Forrester evaluated the accessibility and availability of online customer service and support among 30 leading travel Web sites. Only 12 of the travel Web sites we reviewed received a passing score, and overall . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The ROI Of Online Customer Service Communities

A Total Economic Impact™ Analysis Uncovers Big Benefits From Social Technologies

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., June 30, 2009

Consumers are rapidly adopting social media communication technologies and behaviors. Customer service professionals are beginning to look at incorporating these collaborative tools to deliver better customer experiences at a lower cost. This approach . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Enhance Your Product Strategy With Convenient Customer Service

by Doug Williams, June 22, 2009

Customer service has become an integral part of product strategy, and, as such, it should now be a primary concern of consumer product strategy professionals. Customer service has also grown more complex: Consumers used to simply bring the product back . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Using Channel Satisfaction Data To Build The Business Case For eBusiness

by Carrie Johnson, Elizabeth Davis, May 26, 2009

Forrester recently released a report showing the results of a survey of more than 4,500 US consumers and their level of satisfaction with Web, phone, and in-person interactions across 12 different industries. The report allows eBusiness and channel strategy . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How Twitter Can Influence eBusiness

Assessing The Twitter Opportunity For Retail And Travel eBusiness

by Diane Clarkson, May 14, 2009

Twitter — a social networking and micro-blogging service — is growing at an extraordinary speed. Twitter facilitates an instantaneous and informal conversation between consumers and companies. It may not yet be a game-changer, but now is the time for . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Trends 2009: European Retail Banking eBusiness And Channel Strategy

The Financial Crisis And The Recession Have Changed Priorities For Executives

by Benjamin Ensor, May 12, 2009

Under the impact of the financial crisis and the recession, eBusiness and channel strategy executives at European retail banks will focus on retaining customers and increasing efficiency in 2009. In this environment, we expect to see eBusiness and channel . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Travel: How To Use eBusiness Effectively In A Crisis

by Henry H. Harteveldt, May 8, 2009

The H1N1 virus is having enormous impact on the global travel industry. Though the industry clearly cannot control external events such as health crises, terrorism, or natural disasters, it can anticipate how to use eBusiness channels during these events . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

The Experiences That Satisfy Consumers, 2009

US Consumers Rate Firms' Web, Phone, And In-Person Interactions

by Bruce D. Temkin, April 14, 2009

How well do experiences meet the needs of customers? Not very well. A survey of more than 4,500 US consumers shows a low level of satisfaction with Web, phone, and in-person interactions across 12 different industries. It turns out that Web interactions . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Ten Steps For Reducing Contact Center Expenses

Slow Economy Necessitates You Take A Close Look At Contact Center Costs

by Elizabeth Herrell, March 13, 2009

During an economic slowdown, customer service managers need to take a close look at their contact center operations to find ways to reduce costs while maintaining high levels of customer support. Too often, customer service managers continue with established . . .