For Customer Experience Professionals

Service Seekers Are More Loyal Than Price Seekers

Examining Four Segments Of Consumers Across 12 Industries

by Bruce D. Temkin, August 31, 2009

In previous research, Forrester created four segments of consumers based on their interest in low prices and good customer service: Service Seekers, Price Seekers, Price & Service Seekers, and Others. We examined the loyalty of these segments across . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Estimate The ROI Of A Better Online Customer Experience In Six Steps

by Megan Burns, August 27, 2009

Proving the business value of a better online experience is a top priority for Web customer experience leaders. To help, we've identified a six-step process that lets even financial novices model the ROI for Web customer experience projects: 1) document . . .

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 Customer Experience Professionals

Small IVR Investments That Pay Off

by Adele Sage, June 23, 2009

With low phone self-service satisfaction rates, there's lots of room to improve IVR systems. Our research uncovered five low-cost techniques that improve routing, boost containment rates, increase automation, and reinforce the brand. To identify which . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Customer Experience Boosts Revenue

Modest Improvements Can Bring In $177 Million To $311 Million Per Year

by Bruce D. Temkin, June 22, 2009

Forrester's previous research has shown a high correlation between customer experience and three key elements of loyal behavior: willingness to buy more, reluctance to switch, and likelihood to recommend. But how does that affect a company's bottom line? . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Best Practices: Customer Onboarding

A Visible Target During Economic Uncertainty

by Craig Le Clair, April 27, 2009

Take customer onboarding . . . please. Customer onboarding lags behind other business processes in both the quality of customer experience and costs. The poor state of customer onboarding results in customers abandoning the application process, loss of . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

How To Win Funding For Your Customer Service Project

Use The Discipline Total Economic Impact™ To Boost ROI

by Natalie L. Petouhoff, Ph.D., April 6, 2009

Given the current poor economic climate, customer service professionals need to back up their requests for funding with compelling business justifications. Your initiative will be stacked up against many others competing for the same resources and money. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Low-Cost User Research And Usability Testing Techniques

by Vidya L. Drego, February 3, 2009

While customer experience efforts held up fairly well in 2008's slumping economy, many customer experience professionals can expect tighter budgets during the coming year. Luckily, user research and testing don't need to end up on the cutting room floor. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

UK Newspaper Web Site Design, 2008

by Marta Baigorri, January 29, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 12 firms across four industries, Forrester applied its Web Site Review methodology to the Web sites of the UK's top three newspapers: The Times, The Guardian, and Telegraph. As an industry, newspapers came in second of . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Customer Experience Predictions For 2009

Five Things Every Customer Experience Professional Should Think About

by Megan Burns, January 26, 2009

The definition of what makes a "great" customer experience is constantly changing. To help firms keep up, Forrester identified five things that we expect to influence the definition of customer experience excellence in 2009 and beyond: Experience-Based . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How To Measure ROI For Spanish-Language US Sites

by Tamara Barber, January 7, 2009

Customer experience professionals know they need hard metrics to prove the value of their Spanish-language sites, but most fail to plan for what they need to measure or how to measure it. Return on investment (ROI) measurements for Spanish-language sites . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Topic Overview: Customer Experience In A Down Economy

by Harley Manning, Moira Dorsey, December 12, 2008

As markets around the world continue to decline, credit stays tight, and job cuts escalate, making the case for customer experience will be even more of a challenge. But firms can ensure that the experiences they offer don't degrade — and hopefully improve . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Need To Cut Costs? Improve The Web Site Experience

by Megan Burns, December 1, 2008

When the economy is in trouble, most executives start looking for ways to cut costs from their budgets. Customer experience professionals should take advantage of this situation and promote improving Web usability as a key way to eliminate unnecessary . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How Much Will Your Web Site Metrics Improve?

by Megan Burns, October 10, 2008

To help customer experience professionals estimate how far their Web site metrics are likely to move as a result of improvements in the customer experience, we aggregated data on the impact of more than 80 site improvement projects. Our research shows . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How To Leverage Social Media For Audience And Revenue Growth

Social Strategies For Media And Entertainment eBusiness

by Sarah Rotman Epps, September 17, 2008

The groundswell of consumers using social technologies poses both a threat and an opportunity for media companies. The threat has often been more visible than the opportunity: User-generated content diffuses editorial power. The immense popularity of . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Top Five Business Challenges For European Usability Vendors

by Marta Baigorri, September 3, 2008

European usability vendors are benefiting from high demand for their services around the globe. But with prosperity come challenges. To keep up with growing market demand while delivering quality results, vendors need to overcome five main business challenges: . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Small Web Site Investments That Pay Off

by Adele Sage, August 27, 2008

Some small Web site projects yield quick ROI. Our research uncovered eight low-cost techniques that increase conversion rates, boost cross-sell opportunities, help users find products, and improve click-through rates. To identify which quick fixes to . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

The ROI Of Health Plans' Online Provider Directory Tool Redesigns

by Elizabeth Boehm, April 18, 2008

Health plan provider directories — online tools that allow health plan members and prospects to search for nearby doctors, hospitals, and other facilities that are in a health plan's network — are the most used online resources at health plan Web sites. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

The Business Impact Of Customer Experience

Poor Experiences Can Cost Large Firms More Than $180 Million Per Year

by Bruce D. Temkin, March 24, 2008

Executives know that customer experience is important, but they can't always tie it directly to business results. So we examined the correlation between the customer experiences delivered by 112 US firms (as defined by Forrester's Customer Experience . . .

The Business Case For Web Analysts

Dedicated Staff Turns Up The Volume On Productivity

by Megan Burns, August 10, 2006

Companies need a way to see what customers do on their Web sites and how those activities contribute to business performance. Because Web analytics is the only practical way to do that, most managers aren't asked to justify their initial investment in . . .

Managing The Risk Of Web Site Redesigns

by Harley Manning, March 17, 2006

In Forrester's Customer Experience Peer Research Panel Survey (Q1 2006), most site owners who undertook major Web design projects in 2005 said that they had succeeded at meeting their business goals, but a significant minority reported that they had fallen . . .

The ROI Of Web Redesigns Made Simple

Avoid Analysis Paralysis And Get The Site You Deserve Now

by Harley Manning, March 17, 2006

Although Internet leaders like Dell, Fidelity, and Staples routinely measure the business results of Web redesigns, some companies don't even buy into the concept that design projects affect the bottom line. Other firms do know that design can increase . . .

Learning The Value Of Effective Site Design

Why Most Firms Don't Measure Design's Value — And How They Must Change

by Nate L. Root, December 6, 2005

Firms with active online sales channels constantly redesign their Web sites to add new features, fix perceived problems, and keep up with branding changes that trickle down from the marketing department. But most companies don't measure the financial . . .

The Economics Of Speech For Phone Self-Service

by Moira Dorsey, September 30, 2005

Good speech-enabled phone self-service systems offer interaction advantages that even well-designed touchtone systems can't match. These advantages can translate into higher automation rates — but project champions have high expectations for their deployments. . . .