Tag Archives: contact-center-experience

The Best Customer Service TED Talks, in Under 60 Minutes

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The Best Customer Service TED Talks, in Under 60 MinutesThe field of customer service is very close to my heart. As a young student I worked as a customer service representative, and as a “young” professional, I’ve dedicated myself to a solution that improves contact center interactions around the world. The customer service sector is unique in that it requires both companies and people to undergo continuous improvement. Though, in my humble opinion, this is also what makes it so fun.

At Fonolo, we have distributed a ton of written resources to help professionals in the field, but of course people all learn in different ways. Today we’d like to share some must-watch TED Talks.

If you haven’t watched TED Talks before, you’re in for a treat. TED has done a fabulous job at building a global community of people across virtually every discipline. This organization posts free talks online, covering a slew of topics! Here are three videos that are sure to help customer service professionals. Continue reading →

Chatbots Won’t Save Us from IVR Hell

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Chatbots Won’t Save Us from IVR HellThe IVR experience (“press 1 for this… press 2 for that…”) has long been part of the contact center. Although it serves an important purpose, it is universally detested. Many people see chatbots as a natural replacement for the core functions of the IVR.

Sorry, but I’m afraid this is going to be one of those “rain on the parade” posts. First, it’s not clear when or to what extent that will happen. Second, most of the aspects of IVRs that make them hated are likely to translate directly to chatbot form.

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Are You Losing Customers to Long Hold Times?

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Are You Losing Customers to Long Hold Times?Before you answer that – consider how much time consumers actually spend on hold. According to TalkTo, it’s 13 hours a year; that’s 43 days over the course of a lifetime. While I can’t vouch for the accuracy of that statistic, I can say that I’m well past 13 hours this year, booking flights alone.

Customers Don’t Want to Wait

It’s safe to say that nobody likes waiting on hold. As consumers, we wait because have no choice … or do we?  A study from YouGov showed that 76% of respondents said “just one unpleasant contact center experience was likely to make them take their business elsewhere”. 6/10 customers have ditched a company because its telephone customer service has been so bad. And a study from Zendesk shows that 35% of customers stopped doing business with a company after a poor customer experience. Continue reading →

How to Deliver A Call Center Experience That Doesn’t Suck

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Despite all the new methods of communicating over the last 20 years, the telephone is still the most popular channel for customer service. Unfortunately, the call center experience is something customers continue to despise.

What do customers hate about call centers? How do callers define excellent service? Find out what steps to take to deliver a great experience and what to avoid.

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Top 3 Reasons Customers Hate Your Contact Center

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Customer Service in the Contact CenterThe telephone is the most popular method for customer support. According to Forrester Research, 69% of US consumers still use the phone for customer service.

In an era of instant gratification, service expectations are much higher which makes customers tougher to please. Megan Burns of Forrester Research states, “They’re accustomed to more options, greater control, and a worldwide platform to tell others what they think about the way brands treat them.” Not surprisingly, only 37% of brands were rated good or excellent in The Customer Experience Index 2012.

Calling any contact center is a customer nightmare, so let’s examine three of the biggest culprits and what you can do about them.

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