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[Last Updated: January 2018] As the saying goes if you can’t measure it you can’t improve it and one of the biggest challenges a contact centre faces is the ability to measure agent productivity. Why? Because there are so many different parameters to take into consideration when calculating an agents productivity that you are relying on consolidating stats and data from a number of different systems and sources to provide a single view of productivity. One size doesn't fit all...

[Last Updated: August 2016] As with any other sector, travel & transport is a competitive industry and companies can choose to compete on price, offering the best package deals and rates or on customer service to help differentiate their offering. Those companies that carry out both are more likely to achieve success leading to repeat bookings, loyal customer recommendations and great reviews. Organisations like Eurotunnel understand this and apply voice recording and agent coaching tools such as quality monitoring to...

With the New Year almost upon us, it’s always a good time to reflect on the year gone by and channel some inspiration to help see us through the year ahead. That’s why we’ve put together a list of motivational customer service quotes that you’ll want to print out and stick on your office wall and perhaps even share with your team to help foster a positive attitude to kick start the New Year. After much debate in the marketing...

Despite the launch and subsequent growth of online gaming sites in recent years, there is still a significant proportion of customer support and betting which is handled over the phone. The reason for this is twofold, firstly there are still those customers who have grown accustomed to the ‘human touch’ and prefer to place bets over the phone. Secondly if there are any problems which occur when gambling online or indeed any disputes, people need to be able to pick...

The most successful organisations recognise the importance of establishing a strong emotional connection with their customer, in order to acquire and retain customers over time. It is the overall customer experience with an organisation that evokes the perception of value that will subsequently determine brand preference.With this in mind, it is important to remember that employees are at the forefront of building an emotional connection with a customer. Any interaction with an employee, in a retail space or contact centre,...

Thanks to recent welfare reforms and housing law changes Housing Associations are under more pressure than ever to demonstrate efficiency and accountability, ensuring tax payer money is spent wisely. There are over 1,500 housing associations in the UK and each of them have to manage tenant expectations about the level of housing they receive whilst dealing with lower availability of housing. A report from the Housing Ombudsman who have jurisdiction across all housing organisations indicates that year on year since...

Even though solicitors offer a highly specialised service, like many other professions there is still fierce competition when attracting and retaining clients. Successful revenue generation and business development is built on personal recommendations and reputation and so your ability to train and retain ‘high performing’ legal staff is critical. Law firm call recording can be instrumental in assisting with this. 1. IDENTIFYING LOST BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES In most cases your first interaction with a potential client tends to be by phone and...

************************************************************************************ CONTACT CENTRE GUIDE BLOG: 9/9 MyCustomer.com recently published ‘The Contact Centre Guide’ which was sponsored by Business Systems. For those short on time, we created a series of blogs covering the highlights from each chapter. Please find the 9th in the series below. With thanks to Wendy Brooks from Hemsley Fraser who provided the original article. *********************************************************************************** Since customer contact centres were first established in the 1990s, staff ‘training’ has followed a familiar pattern. At the heart of most...

The UK Hotel industry is highly competitive with customer service being a key differentiator. When executed well it can mean the difference between star ratings and ultimately lead to improved occupancy rates. An often overlooked point but worth mentioning - customer service doesn’t start when a guest walks through your hotel door, it begins from the very first contact they have with you. How to embed a strong customer service ethos in reservation and bookings staff The first interaction some...

************************************************************************************ CONTACT CENTRE GUIDE BLOG: 8/9 MyCustomer.com recently published ‘The Contact Centre Guide’ which was sponsored by Business Systems. For those short on time, we created a series of blogs covering the highlights from each chapter. Please find the 8th in the series below. With thanks to Steve O’Dell from Talent Q who provided the original article. ************************************************************************************ The average annual attrition rate in contact centres is 24%, according to workplace performance charity skills CFA’s Contact Centre Operations, Labour Market...

The taxi and private vehicle hire sector, like most other service-based industries is under increasing pressure to remain competitive and secure bookings, win council and corporate contracts and cultivate repeat bookings to help ensure long term survival. Additional pressures are also placed on ad hoc business with the launch of online companies like minicabit who offer to automatically compare and present the quotes from local taxi companies within seconds for the customer to then select their preferred option. Customer service...

CONTACT CENTRE GUIDE BLOG: 7/9 - How to Power up Staff with Gamification MyCustomer.com recently published ‘The Contact Centre Guide’ which was sponsored by Business Systems. For those short on time, we created a series of blogs covering the highlights from each chapter. Our 7th blog is around Gamification. With thanks to Scott Buchanan from NICE Systems who provided the original article. The issue of employee engagement is a growing source of tension for service organisations. As customers increasingly resolve...