For Customer Experience Professionals

Design Sites To Work In A High-Resolution World

The Decline Of 1024 x 768 And What To Do About It

by Ron Rogowski, November 20, 2009

The proliferation of high-resolution screens that well surpass 1024 x 768 adds a new layer of complexity to site design. Not only is there no standard resolution to design for, but higher-resolution screens pose usability challenges for sites that were . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Sixteen Voice Of The Customer Recommendations

Insights From 40 Companies With Voice Of The Customer Programs

by Bruce D. Temkin, November 11, 2009

To understand the best practices in voice of the customer (VoC) programs, Forrester analyzed the 40 applications it received for its Voice Of The Customer award. When we examined the advice that applicants listed for other companies, we found 16 recommendations . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Four Mistakes To Avoid When Hiring An Interactive Agency For Design Projects

by Vidya L. Drego, November 11, 2009

Finding the right agency is difficult for clients and agencies alike. With so many agencies to choose from and so many skill sets to evaluate, narrowing a list of similar players down to one can be an overwhelming task — one fraught with potential missteps . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Top Customer Experience Takeaways From SpeechTEK 2009

by Adele Sage, November 10, 2009

Forrester recently attended SpeechTEK 2009, where presenters focused on using speech technologies to improve the phone self-service customer experience. Among speakers' top recommendations: Don't ignore customer experience, do focus on target users and . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Assumption Personas Help Overcome Hurdles To Using Research-Based Design Personas

by Jonathan Browne, November 4, 2009

Forrester recommends that customer experience professionals use personas founded in ethnographic research to guide the design of products, channels, and messages. However, some organizations struggle to use personas effectively. To overcome common barriers . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Emotional Experience Design

Creating Online Experiences That Deeply Engage Customers

by Ron Rogowski, October 26, 2009

As consumers increasingly look to connect with companies online, lackluster Web experiences will damage many brands. But better functional design won't solve the problem. Instead, Forrester recommends that companies master the three principles of a new . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How Chief Customer Experience Officers Gain Active Executive Support

by Megan Burns, October 23, 2009

To be successful, chief customer experience officers (CC/EOs) need a coalition of top executives who take an active role in transforming the organization. While most executives support the idea of customer-centricity, many fail to act because they don't . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Interactive Agencies Struggle With Web Usability

by Vidya L. Drego, September 25, 2009

Forrester applied its Web Site Review methodology to 36 reference sites provided by 18 interactive agencies. Only one site received a passing score in our evaluation. The highest numbers of severe failures resulted from poor text legibility, unclear menus, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How To Survive The Browser Wars

Top Considerations When Designing For Cross-Browser Interoperability

by Harley Manning, September 17, 2009

The browser wars have turned hot! How can companies deliver a high-quality Web experience in a world of proliferating platforms — without breaking the bank? The answer lies in best practices for effective cross-browser design and testing. By embracing . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Interactive Design Agencies Go "Above The Line"

by Vidya L. Drego, September 3, 2009

Dramatic changes in consumer behavior and the economy have caused companies to shift budgets from traditional advertising to interactive marketing. Interactive agencies ride the trend with partnerships, acquisitions, new services — and a much bigger role . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How Do Site Owners Approach The Agency Selection Process?

by Vidya L. Drego, September 1, 2009

Finding the right agency partner can be a difficult and onerous journey. To help shed some light on the process, we surveyed 41 customer experience professionals, 40 of whom are working with or have worked with an agency in the past. Our respondents told . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Persona Best Practices Of Interactive Agencies

Forrester Applies Its Evaluation Methodology To Personas Provided By 18 Large Interactive Agencies

by Vidya L. Drego, August 27, 2009

Forrester applied its persona evaluation criteria to reference personas provided by 18 interactive agencies for the recent Forrester Wave™. Most of the personas showed some room for improvement, with problems running the gamut in both type and severity. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How Do Interactive Agencies View The RFP Process?

by Vidya L. Drego, July 17, 2009

Site owners often report difficulty finding and hiring the right agency. Despite carefully preparing requests for information (RFIs) and requests for proposals (RFPs), they struggle to identify the right agencies, and when they do, they fail to receive . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

How Health Plans Use Health Risk Assessments

by Elizabeth Boehm, June 18, 2009

Determined to bring medical costs under control, health plans use health risk assessments (HRAs) to inform interventions aimed at changing members' health status. In a recent survey of nine health plans, Forrester found surprisingly little consistency . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

The Forrester Wave™: Interactive Marketing Agencies — Web Design Capabilities, Q2 2009

Sapient, imc2, Razorfish, And Iconnicholson Lead With Ibm Interactive Close Behind

by Vidya L. Drego, June 5, 2009

In Forrester's evaluation of the Web design capabilities of leading interactive marketing agencies across 18 criteria, we found that Sapient, imc2, Razorfish, IconNicholson, and IBM Interactive led the pack for transaction-led projects — due in . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Engage Gen Y Online With Social Interactivity

by Bruce D. Temkin, June 2, 2009

Gen Y is a unique breed. Firms can't interact with these young consumers in the same way they do with older consumers. That's why Forrester identified four design approaches for reaching Gen Y online: immediacy, Gen Y literacy, individualism, and social . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

3M's Global Home Page Redesign: Collaboration That Delivered Business Results

by Ron Rogowski, June 1, 2009

3M recently deployed 84 regional home pages based on a single, customizable design. To create a design that would suit diverse markets, 3M established a global committee focused on supporting business and user requirements, created flexible design guidelines, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Where To Find Help For Web Design Projects, 2009

North American Interactive Agencies Report Their Capacity, Budget, And Industry Capabilities

by Vidya L. Drego, May 8, 2009

Web site owners know that selecting the right Web design vendor can be a stressful and complicated endeavor. Budgets for design services are tight, but interactive design agencies are still selective about the projects they take on. To help kick-start . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Industry Experts Weigh In On Healthcare Reform

Insights From H.I.L. Forum's Transforming Healthcare Summit 2009

by Elizabeth Boehm, Andrew McInnes, April 27, 2009

Forrester recently attended H.I.L. Forum's Transforming Healthcare Summit 2009, which brought together four expert panelists from across the healthcare industry. Discussion focused on the speed and extent of upcoming reform, with panelists largely agreeing . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Consumers Delay Healthcare Due To Economic Woes

by Elizabeth Boehm, March 25, 2009

Industry players view healthcare as an inelastic necessity, but consumers weigh costs heavily when deciding whether to seek care or pursue a course of treatment. Unfilled prescriptions, skipped screenings, and postponed surgeries show that consumers who . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Customer Experience Budgets Weather The Storm In 2009

Firms Will Grow Customer Experience Spending Despite Tough Economic Times

by Megan Burns, March 17, 2009

A recent survey of Forrester's Customer Experience Peer Research Panel shows that while most firms will keep spending flat, many still plan to grow spending in key budget categories like Web design, measurement technology, and persona development despite . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Make The Most Of Web Site Satisfaction Surveys

Go Beyond Measurement To Modeling And Diagnosis

by Megan Burns, March 17, 2009

Customer satisfaction surveys are popular, but overall satisfaction scores don't produce actionable insights. Firms need detailed data on specific factors that influence visitors' overall perception of a site like content, navigation, and search. They . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Consumers Face Healthcare Financing Fears

Health Plan Customer Experience Professionals Must Build Transparency

by Elizabeth Boehm, March 9, 2009

The deepening recession has led to consumer fears across the US economy — and healthcare is no exception. When Forrester asked US consumers about their attitudes toward healthcare costs in Q3 2008, most respondents said they anticipate cost increases, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Customer Experience And Loyalty: A Closer Look

Impact Of Usefulness, Ease Of Use, And Enjoyability Differs Across Industries

by Bruce D. Temkin, March 6, 2009

Forrester examined the correlation between customer experience and loyalty across 12 industries: airlines, banks, cell phone service providers, credit card providers, hotels, insurance firms, Internet service providers, investment firms, medical insurance . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Why Do Interactive Agencies Play Hard To Get?

Clients Must Ditch The Scattergun Approach To Hiring Design Partners

by Jonathan Browne, February 27, 2009

As the recession erodes Web budgets, customer experience professionals hope that agencies will be keener to bid on RFPs. Forrester's survey of 46 European agencies shows that agencies expect to be slightly more responsive than they were in 2008, but preparing . . .