AnswerConnect

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

With 60% of customers preferring to communicate by phone, small businesses receive up to 400 million customer calls per day. The post Phone calls: #1 Medium of Customer Support appeared first on AnswerConnect Blog. There are 30.2 million small businesses in America.

Customer Support 52

Customer Support 52

ShepHyken

AUGUST 2, 2019

Whether on the phone or in person, it’s important to train your employees the right way to interact with your customers. Something that a lot of people ignore is the fact that your customers associate your company with the kind of treatment they get from the customer support employees. The importance of first impressions.

Customer Service 281

Customer Service Customer Support Personalization Management 281

aircall

APRIL 20, 2018

The findings reinforce the need for smart telephone communications and a multichannel approach to support. It may seem counterintuitive now that the internet is nearly universal, but the phone is vital to any support scheme. In fact, consumers aren’t the only ones who recognize the value of phone calls. Sound cryptic?

Surveys 103

Surveys Multichannel Interactive Voice Response CRM 103

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

This week we feature an article by Pascal van Opzeeland who writes about the quality of customer support and what it takes to provide great customer support. – Shep Hyken. What makes a customer support interaction good or bad? To be good, a customer support interaction needs to be…. A useful support structure is What?

Customer Support 267

Customer Support Customer effort Self service Metrics 267

aircall

MAY 7, 2018

Sales and support reps that possess the necessary soft skills still need tools to realize their full potential. Here are the phone skills to master for sales and support. Sales phone skills and the tech to help them thrive: You’re a smooth talker. During onboarding, new hires can approach phone calls confidently.

Sales 90

Sales CRM Morale Analytics 90

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 9, 2018

This week we feature an article by Andy Steuer who shares valuable information about how to use virtual web assistants to optimize productivity in areas of customer service, customer support, CRM management and more. – Shep Hyken. Support Tickets and CRM Management. Email and Phone Support.

CRM 241

CRM Enterprise Benchmark outsourcing 241

aircall

MAY 7, 2018

Sales and support reps that possess the necessary soft skills still need tools to realize their full potential. Here are the phone skills to master for sales and support. Sales phone skills and the tech to help them thrive: You’re a smooth talker. During onboarding, new hires can approach phone calls confidently.

Sales 89

Sales CRM Morale Analytics 89

ShepHyken

DECEMBER 28, 2018

They are wholly averse to hold music (a phone call is out of the question), they prefer to search for answers online, and whenever possible will “go it alone” over asking for help. Born with a device in hand, millennials are incredibly proactive when it comes to solving their own support issues. Yes, really. That part is critical.

Customer Service 249

Customer Service Self service Customer Support Scripts 249

aircall

AUGUST 29, 2017

Despite the growing prevalence of alternative channels such as live chat or social media, the phone channel remains a staple. When customers need support, they want it to be easy, quick, and efficient regardless of the channel. Support teams must offer a seamless experience across channels and meet customers exactly where they are.

First call resolution 81

First call resolution Call Center Interactive Voice Response CRM 81

ShepHyken

SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague from Down Under, Warwick Merry, writes about an experience he had that demonstrates why a business must have the systems and processes in place to take care of new and existing customers. The post Guest Blog: Stop Wasting Money! Shep Hyken . Here is what happened.

Advertising 297

Advertising Entertainment Marketing Personalization 297

ShepHyken

JUNE 28, 2019

Fewer phone calls, but more complex conversations. In the contact center industry, for example, there are fewer phone conversations going into customer support centers than in the past. In this world of increasing self-service interactions, the moments when a customer connects to a support agent are becoming less frequent.

Contact Center 281

Contact Center Self service Banking Airlines 281

ShepHyken

OCTOBER 14, 2016

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Pascal van Opzeeland, writes an informative article about the popularity of messaging apps and how they are impacting customer service. The asynchronous part means that service peaks can be spread out, while the synchronous means real-time support can still be delivered as well.

Customer Service 315

Customer Service B2C Airlines Management 315

ShepHyken

OCTOBER 7, 2016

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague Erica McBride, shares a story that explains why your organization doesn’t want to just be good, you want to be great! The post Guest Blog: “Good” vs. “Great” appeared first on Shep Hyken. Shep Hyken .

Enterprise 302

Enterprise Coaching Personalization Customer Experience 302

ShepHyken

AUGUST 25, 2017

Chatbots can be great for handling basic customer support functions, communicating with customers when a rep isn’t available and more. – Shep Hyken. No matter what the situation, you need to foster a sense of support and caring to ensure your customer comes back to you. Provide Quality Service First.

Chatbots 370

Chatbots Customer Service Best practices voip 370

ShepHyken

AUGUST 31, 2018

This week we feature an article by Yura Filimonov who shares some of the many ways we can use AI to provide customer support. – Shep Hyken. Proactive support. AI is available 24/7 so that customers can get help, whenever they need it as long as they can make a phone call or access the internet. Faster reaction time.

Self service 185

Self service Chatbots Personalization Interactive Voice Response 185

Nicereply

MARCH 31, 2019

70% of users surveyed report that they’d “ rather die ” than respond in a courteous manner to an emailed support thread. In the fast-paced world of support, it can feel like all you do is survive from one crisis to the next, doing damage control and pushing forward through each struggle. Sound crazy? Make human connections.

Wireless 81

Wireless Surveys Self service Personalization 81

ShepHyken

JANUARY 5, 2018

Customer service agents need to have customer data available at their fingertips, and this includes support history and other customer preferences you may have in your database. Whether it’s holding on the phone or waiting to get an email response back, they often take longer than we want. There’s one that is missing. Text Messaging.

Customer Service 203

Customer Service Multi-channel support Customer Experience Personalization 203

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 23, 2018

This week we feature an article by Pascal van Opzeeland who writes about the quality of customer support and what it takes to provide great customer support. – Shep Hyken. What makes a customer support interaction good or bad? To be good, a customer support interaction needs to be…. A useful support structure is What?

Customer Support 170

Customer Support Customer effort Self service Metrics 170

ShepHyken

JUNE 1, 2018

This week we feature an article by Jason Grills who discusses the importance of integrating an effective customer support system and how to decide upon live chat software for your organization. – Shep Hyken. You need to integrate an effective customer support system, like a live chat software, to know your customers better.

Customer Support 259

Customer Support Sales Marketing B2B 259

ShepHyken

OCTOBER 6, 2017

When you pick up the phone to a shouting customer, let go of the outcome. Pascal van Opzeeland is CMO of Userlike , software for website and messaging support. He and his team share tips about customer service and communication on the Userlike Blog.

Customer Service 319

Customer Service Personalization Customer Experience 319

ShepHyken

MARCH 24, 2017

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Manuel Grenacher, writes about how using bots can help manage and improve the customer experience. Just pick up the phone, dial a number, and speak to a friendly person on the other end to arrange everything. Need some tech support? Shep Hyken. Want a pizza?

Customer Experience 230

Customer Experience Airlines Chatbots Personalization 230

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 24, 2017

Are people asking for customer support? Provide the same level of service that you would in person or over the phone, take any opportunity to go the extra mile, and who knows—perhaps someday, you’ll be looked at as the prime example of how others should be using social media! Communication is key to great service. Timing Is Everything.

Customer Service 221

Customer Service B2B B2C Accountability 221

aircall

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

In the face of growing customer expectations, businesses face the imperative of adopting an omnichannel customer support strategy. One pitfall is to sacrifice the efficiency of established support channels in order to spearhead new ones. This often results in an overall decline in a company’s quality of support.

Customer Support 81

Customer Support First call resolution Brand ambassadors voip 81

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 30, 2018

By establishing metrics for factors like “time spent in the knowledge base,” “screens to resolution,” or “questions to authentication,” you will learn what agents experience when supporting customers. Alternatively, dissect average handle time for your agents’ phone conversations. A bot may be the optimal support mechanism.

Abandon rate 241

Abandon rate Journey mapping Average Handle Time Customer centricity 241

aircall

AUGUST 29, 2017

Despite the growing prevalence of alternative channels such as live chat or social media, the phone channel remains a staple. When customers need support, they want it to be easy, quick, and efficient regardless of the channel. Support teams must offer a seamless experience across channels and meet customers exactly where they are.

First call resolution 48

First call resolution Call Center Interactive Voice Response CRM 48

ShepHyken

OCTOBER 25, 2019

You aren’t going to be the one on the phone. Support your agents with the best technology and industry practices. The best call centers aren’t just pumping out calls from a call sheet with a desk phone. The post Guest Blog: Hiring and Leadership to Improve CX in Your Call Center appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Call Center 192

Call Center Scripts Contact Center Advertising 192

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 10, 2017

A live chat tool can help businesses significantly improve lead capture efforts, customer onboarding, and long-term support. When website visitors see something of value and find proactive live chat support to clear the doubts, there is a higher chance of being converted into a customer. He has an MBA from the University of Pune.

Transportation 185

Transportation Analytics Banking Metrics 185

Nicereply

MAY 5, 2020

Phone support doesn’t need to be as businessy and transactional as many companies make it out to be. Let’s look into some of the best ways for you to integrate more trust into your phone support offering and boost your customers’ satisfaction as you do it. Over the phone, not so much. Match their tone.

Banking 52

Banking Personalization Customer Support Feedback 52

ShepHyken

NOVEMBER 15, 2019

Forrester, for instance, has reported that nearly 40 percent of customer service interactions still take place over the phone. These applications are comparatively easy to install and implement, meaning your customers’ phone experience can improve within days or weeks instead of months. So how can your contact center IVR get there?

Interactive Voice Response 237

Interactive Voice Response Customer Experience Self service Contact Center 237

ShepHyken

APRIL 12, 2019

If not properly trained and supported, the employees may fail to convert seasonal customers into year-round customers—or worse, turn off loyal customers. The post Guest Blog: How to Get the Most from Seasonal Customer Service Employees appeared first on Shep Hyken. For many organizations, seasonal staff are vital to operations.

Customer Service 273

Customer Service Education Healthcare Customer centricity 273

Vonage

MARCH 11, 2016

The phone is not dead. I recently had a customer service experience over the phone that proved why the phone is still king. Melanie, a Verizon Wireless technical support rep, took a minor frustration and turned it into a great experience. She did it primarily over the phone. But, the phone was the primary channel.

Customer Support 63

Customer Support Wireless Technical Support Average Handle Time 63

Beyond Philosophy

AUGUST 20, 2020

Professor Melumad is an assistant professor of marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and has worked a lot in a relatively new research area about people’s relationship with mobile phones. We Are More Emotional on Our Phones Than Computers. The phone has a smaller keyboard and screen.

Transportation 870

Transportation Surveys Consulting Consulting 870

ShepHyken

MARCH 10, 2017

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Steven Macdonald, shares the results of a study examining how companies around the world respond to customer service requests. To keep the study simple, one email was sent to each company containing two simple questions: Do you have a phone number I can call you on?

Customer Service 221

Customer Service Technical Support Benchmark Best practices 221

ShepHyken

AUGUST 19, 2016

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Jack Plantin, writes about the importance of customer support and options we can offer for around the clock support. 24/7 customer support is great to have, but it can expensive and time-consuming for small companies. Shep Hyken. FAQ Databases.

Customer Support 223

Customer Support Banking outsourcing Coaching 223

ShepHyken

APRIL 26, 2019

For instance, you inform customers you have changed how you support them. For simple queries, they can pay a customer service fee to be supported by a human agent over the phone (stick), or for free (carrot) they can be serviced by a chat-bot or go online to access the solution.

Technology 219

Technology Marketing Metrics Surveys 219

ShepHyken

JANUARY 27, 2017

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Shital Shah, writes about how with the right combination of technology and human touch, customer service doesn’t have to be difficult. Customers don’t want to wait on the phone for the “next available representative” anymore. Real-Time Support. Shep Hyken.

Technology 233

Technology Customer Service Management CRM 233

ShepHyken

MAY 5, 2017

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Dan Rood, writes about the precious commodity of time and why we must use the latest technologies to help customers save time and have amazing customer experiences. Supporting technologies that will drive new levels of speed and efficiency. Shep Hyken.

Self service 200

Self service APIs Surveys Analytics 200