Forrester Research, Inc. (Nasdaq: FORR) announces the addition of the Cross-Channel Review Boot Camp to its roster of Customer Experience training sessions. Scheduled to take place June 29-30, 2004, at Forrester’s Cambridge offices, this two-day event will bring together Forrester clients and analysts for intensive customer experience training to help companies gain a clear understanding of which customer channels need to be enhanced and how to make improvements that will lead to increased profits.

According to Forrester, the number of customers using multiple channels — in-store, online, phone, and self-service — to interact with businesses will grow from 32 million today to 45 million by 2005. Firms must deliver consistent, fluent conversations to these customers who not only spend three to 10 times as much as single-channel customers, but have higher incomes.

Forrester’s Cross-Channel Review Boot Camp will provide an understanding of Forrester’s Cross-Channel Review methodology, the tools and training necessary to evaluate a cross-channel customer experience, and a user experience scorecard conducted in collaboration with Forrester analysts and peers. The scorecard presents criteria for an action-oriented evaluation of the experience a firm provides for its customers within and across multiple remote interaction channels, including the Web, interactive voice response (IVR), email, and agent-based customer service. The review also assesses the consistency of data and language across channels, as well as a firm’s ability to smoothly escalate customers from one channel to another.

“The Cross-Channel Review Boot Camp grew out of our experience over the last several years helping companies evaluate and improve their cross-channel user experiences,” said Bruce D. Temkin, vice president, research director at Forrester. “Last year, we recognized the success of leading companies that have created and sustained great cross-channel user experiences at the first-ever “XC” Awards. The three winners, Land’s End, Wells Fargo, and Macy’s were recognized for the underlying value they provide to customers, ROI to the business, and scope.”

Customer Experience Boot Camps

The Cross-Channel Review Boot Camp is one of several Customer Experience Boot Camps Forrester offers. The Boot Camps are designed to help firms develop a cohesive experience across multiple channels by teaching them how to apply the same tested methodologies Forrester analysts use to evaluate the customer experience clients provide. Other programs include:

  • Effective Site Design Boot Camp — takes firms through the steps of a scenario-based design process to help them produce useful, usable sites.
  • Web Site Review Boot Camp — teaches firms how to evaluate the effectiveness of their site — and their competitors’ sites — with the objectivity and expertise of a Forrester analyst.

More information on the event can be found at: http://www.forrester.com/Events/Overview/0,5158,691,00.html. Additional research on Cross-Channel Experience includes “Simplifying Cross-Channel Design” and “Cross-Channel ‘XC’ Award Winners Lead The Way.”