As a female, I have no problems asking for directions – unlike my male counterparts. However, when it comes to shopping, I’m always weary when a retail associate approaches me as soon as I walk in, asking if I need any help.  This isn’t a sexist comment, just a fact, where a lot of studies have been done that have identified that male shoppers exhibit very different shopping traits from their female counterparts.

This past Saturday, I went on a quest to find the perfect pair of black pants – a staple in every woman’s wardrobe.  I decided to start my expedition at a very well known and highly regarded luxury brand name store.  As soon as I walked in and started browsing the rack where the pants were hanging, a helpful and smiling sales associate approached, eager to assist. 

Against better judgment, I explained what I was looking for and she pulled two styles, both my size, and showed me to a dressing room.... read more >

We're putting the final touches on the March 14th seminar on webRTC – Changing the future of Real-time Customer Service .   Vidya Nagarajan from Google will be joining me to talk about this exciting new technology and its potential impact on customer service.

If you don't know much about webRTC yet, it's an evolving standard backed by Google and Mozilla (among others), that is currently being driven by the IETF and Wide Web Consortium (W3C).  Its goal is to allow web developers to integrate real-time communications (including voice calls and video) into web pages and applications, using nothing more than HTML5 and javascript.  Imagine being able to place a voice call or start a video call from your browser, without downloading special plug-ins or apps to your device. Now think how this might change the customer service industry and you can see why we're pretty excited about it.

Here are a few links if you want to read more on webRTC:

... read more >

Social media and mobile technologies have radically changed how consumers communicate, interact with, share and spread information. But, while the public adores new technology, it can give customer experience executives heartburn.

Customers can voice their opinions on Facebook, Twitter and other social channels, anytime, anywhere using their phones. These outlets give customers more power and leverage than they’ve ever had before — especially when problems arise. One moment of anger or frustration can turn into a hasty, 140-character rant that could potentially reach millions of people.

Bad Breaks One of the first — and perhaps most famous — examples of this was the United Breaks Guitars fiasco in 2008, in which a musician saw United Airlines baggage handlers throwing — and as he later discovered, breaking — his favorite guitar. After United refused to pay for a replacement, he wrote a song called “United Breaks Guit... read more >

As a Genesys business consultant, I often help clients envision their ideal future state.  Describe what the future looks like to you.  What are your goals?  How do you define success?  Here are some specific examples of actual statements I've heard from our clients over the years:

“Know and remember our customers" “Personalize customer service" “Drive business value by selling more products to existing customers/channels” It's great to have a  Vision  that articulates these sorts of goals.  And who could argue with a single one of the above statements?  However, the more clients I work with, and the more goals I hear, the more they all start to sound the same. They risk becoming generic platitudes. It doesn't mean that these goals are wrong or that they aren't a great place to begin. But they aren't enough to create an exceptionally new future that differentiates a company's unique bra... read more >

The new Google glasses (called “Glass”) were all over the tech news last week. This combination smart phone, network PC, and glasses have me thinking about how a simple set of eyewear has the potential to advance customer service. 

I got my first close understanding of Glass from a conversation with my son Andrew who lives in San Francisco and has met a few trial testers of the glasses. More recently this cool video appeared on USAToday showing capabilities including:  taking pictures or video of what you look at, directions, doing a web search, sharing socially, and more.  Just as the “start button” in Windows was the starting point a few years ago on your personal computer, all you need to do to “start” is say “OK Glass” to start your voyage.

So what will Glass potentially bring to customer service?  Companies like Genesys have long led the charge on contact center innovations and this new... read more >