Customer service can make a trip

Mary Bergin recently wrote about her experiences in customer service while on a recent trip to Chicago in the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune. While on her trip, she received horrible customer service from the Public Transit of Chicago. However, she was pleasantly surprised when she received superb customer service from a local restaurant. Have you had any experiences like this? While Bergin alludes to the poor customer service from the public transit service, she identifies possible causes such as the reduction in personnel or the salary freezes.

Official Call for Presenters Now Open: CUSTOMER WORLD 2010

CUSTOMER WORLD
the co-location of 3 unique customer-centric events:
8th Annual NACCM Customer's 1st Conference
2nd Annual Customer UNinterrupted Conference
14th Annual Linkage Strategies Conference

From: Kelly Potanka, Conference Director, IIR
Re: CUSTOMER WORLD Call for Presenters
Event Date: October 25-27, 2010
Location: Orlando, FL

We are looking for both customer-centric case studies, as well as interactive/experiential activities. Creativity in format involving audience participation/inspiration will receive preferred attention. Please send all submissions to Kelly Potanka (kpotanka@iirusa.com).

About the Events:
CUSTOMER WORLD is where the VOICE OF YOUR INDUSTRY comes together to champion and celebrate CUSTOMERS 1st. Never before has there been such a comprehensive offering of customer-centric events focused on your customer service/experience, measurement/metrics and self-service/technology needs.

NACCM CUSTOMER'S 1st CONFERENCE
NACCM consistently helps customer service executives reignite the passionate leader within to confidently lead their teams and customers. Balancing actionable, practical content with unique and memorable experiences- Customers 1st delivers the motivation you need to keep the customer at the center of every business decision. We are currently seeking cross-industry corporate practitioners to share unique strategies and best practices for creating WOW experiences by driving customer-centric initiatives at their organization.

CUSTOMER UNINTERRUPTED CONFERENCE
Customer service is an investment, not an expense. Understanding how the customer wants to be approached and through which contact channel can redefine your next-generation of profitable customer connections. Customer, UNinterrupted is designed for customer operations career professionals to develop and execute a strategy for delivering a consistent, seamless service experience across multiple channels. We are currently seeking expert case studies that focus on Self-Service Technologies and Call Center Excellence.

LINKAGE STRATEGIES CONFERENCE
In times like these, waste is not an option. Ensure every dollar spent on your customers delivers optimal profitability. Linkage Strategies is the only conference that measures the impact of your customer strategy investments on the business' bottom line. If you have a case study on how to take the crucial step forward and show attendees how to manage, measure, link and act on customer data, submit your proposal now.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
If you are a corporate practitioner ONLY, we invite you to submit a speaking proposal directly to Kelly Potanka on or before Friday, April 16, 2010 to kpotanka@iirusa.com. Please note: Abstracts are reviewed and selected on a rolling basis, so please submit early. ONLY corporate practitioner submissions will be reviewed. If you are a consultant/vendor/solution provider, please see below. For consideration, please include:
• Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
• Contact information including address, telephone and fax numbers and e-mail
• Talk title
• Summary of the presentation (3-5 sentences)
• What the audience will gain from your presentation (please list 3-5 key “take-aways”)

Added Bonus: Each speaker receives free admission to the conference (a $2000+ value) including admission to all conference sessions, workshops, networking breaks, lunches, exhibit halls, etc.

Special Notice to Vendors, Consultants and Solution Providers:
Whether you are looking to build awareness, generate new business or strengthen existing relationships- a presence at Customer World can help you achieve your goals. A limited number of sessions are reserved on the program for this group to participate and sponsors are given priority. If you are interested in sponsorship or exhibit opportunities, please contact Jon Saxe, Business Development Manager at jsaxe@iirusa.com or 646-895-7467.

Thank you for your interest in CUSTOMER WORLD. We look forward to receiving your proposal!

Free Web Seminar - How SimplexGrinnell Increased Customer Advocacy by over 200%: Moving Beyond NPS Metrics

Often companies are focused entirely on satisfaction scores which are only the first step in truly understanding customer satisfaction. In order to respond to customer feedback, and increase satisfaction you must understand the meaning behind the score to be able to anticipate customer needs.

Join us to hear how SimplexGrinnell developed a process not only to measure the quality of customer relationships, but also to take action to exceed customer expectations.

Speakers:
Karl Sharicz, Manager of Customer Intelligence, SimplexGrinnell
Bill Herald PhD, Research Consultant, MarketTools

Register here
Mention priority code MWS0033BLOG

New customer experience measurement system for USPS

According to Research.com, the USPS will be bringing in a new tool that will allow the system to see how the consumers service is at four key touchpoints: receiving mail, sending mail, visiting the post office and contacting the Postal Service.

Delores Kettle, USPS vice president and consumer advocate, stated this about the new data collection: “Through added insights and actionable data, customer experience measurement will help the Postal Service more precisely identify customer needs across all channels and find new ways to provide greater customer service. We will now be measuring and reporting on areas that really matter to our customers, and this information will help Postal Service managers take actions to improve service.”

Read the full article here.

Archive Webinar - Profiting from Feedback: Achieving Real Business Results with Enterprise Feedback Management

Here's your chance to view MarketTools webinar if you didn't get a chance to view it live, or if you just need a refresher. The hour long web seminar was presented by the following speakers:

Alan Kneale, Vice President, Technical Support Operations, CareFusion
Robert Freeden, Director, Product Support/Repair, CareFusion
Justin Schuster, Vice President, EFM Solutions, MarketTools

View the archive webinar

Customer service that knows your call

According to IT Business Edge, IBM has taken customer service via phone to another level. Instead of having customers routed to a different customer service representative and explaining their situation each time, they've developed a system where callers are automatically routed to the CSR who can best take their call.

This software can do this by:
....analyzes what a company knows about its customer, the performance history of the customer service representatives, and the previous interactions the customer has had with customer service representatives to determine where to route a call.

How will this change customer service in the future? Will customer service calls be more effectively answered?

“Customer Service is the New Marketing!”

Fast Company recently interviewed Aaron Magness of Zappos, Inc. In the interview, Fast Company's Brandon Gutman asked Magness about his position and about how marketing and customer service have changed business. Here are a few highlights that we thought were particularly interesting.

Fast Company- What is marketing really about?

There are five principles that I try to focus on in everything that has to do with marketing:

· Customer service is the new marketing. The days of dictating your brand to the public are long gone. There is so much access to information; the customer is actually dictating your brand to you.

· Communicate with your customers, don’t market at them. Customers get bombarded with marketing messages every day (practically every second). Find ways to interact with them. Discussions drive loyalty, not one way messaging.

Fast Company- How do you breed better customer service?

I’m really inspired by positivity. This can take many forms and isn’t the same for everyone, but it really stands out for me. I think it’s contagious and people build off it. It helps in personal areas the same as business. You can’t provide great customer service with a negative attitude or culture. My goal is to be as positive as I can, and hope that has an impact on those around me. I choose to surround myself with positive people and you tend to find that the majority of “success stories” generally have a great attitude about life. It all comes down to the Golden Rule. It’s not difficult to understand and we all have it in us.


We encourage you to read the interview it its entirety.

Zappos’ Marketing Chief: “Customer Service is the New Marketing!”

Engaging Shoppers with Every Step, Real Time

Stop & Shop/Giant has set out to improve its customer loyalty by creating a uniquely personal and relevant shopping experience. In this session, you will learn how a customer-facing technology was leveraged to create operational enhancements and reach customers at their point of purchase. This case study showcases how real-time in-store behavior and past purchase history can be translated to deliver highly targeted promotional messaging and exclusive savings to customers while they shop. You'll learn how participating brands are experiencing saldes life and how the retailer is benefiting by giving their customer a rewarding shopping experience.

Stephen Vowles, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Stop & Shop will discuss:

• How new audience targeting tactics are revolutionizing the way retailers and brands can reach specific customers
• How Stop & Shop is driving larger baskets and increased frequency with targetd media and self-service technology
• Pitfalls to avoid when selecting & implementing customer-facing technology solutions
• How brands can effectively and measurably leverage digital in-store marketing

"Engaging Shoppers with Every Step, Real Time" Monday, July 12 at 9am

Shopper Insights in Action 2010

Brochure Download

Register Today

The world’s largest conference company announces the launch of the Performance Marketing Expo to be held this September in Miami

IIR (The Institute for International Research), the company responsible for industry leading brands such as FUSE, Front end of Innovation, The Market Research Event, GAIM, and PREPAID Card Expo, is launching a brand-new affiliate marketing/performance marketing event.

The Performance Marketing Expo, will take place September 27th-29th in South Beach at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consistent with other IIR conferences, The Performance Marketing Expo features best-in-class educational sessions, industry insider top level speakers, super-affiliates with proven earning power, the premier online merchants and retailers, affiliate networks, and hundreds of affiliates eager to network and grow their business (and their earning potential).

What makes this event stand out from all the rest? It will include facilitated business networking and quality content brought to life by the best storytellers, representing merchants, affiliates and networks.

TOP SUPER AFFILIATES JUST CONFIRMED AT The Performance Marketing Expo
Stephanie Nelson, Coupon Mom
Todd Martini, Alex's Coupons
eCoupons * MarketAmerica * TrialPay * Parent Media
The program is currently being finalized. For More Information about getting involved, please email kpotanka@iirusa.com or visit our contact page if you have specific questions.

Join The Performance Marketing LinkedIn Group

Complimentary Webinar - Profiting from Feedback: Achieving Real Business Results with Enterprise Feedback Management

Profiting from Feedback: Achieving Real Business Results with Enterprise Feedback Management

Time/Date: Thu, Mar 11, 2010 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT

Complimentary Webinar: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/916296592
Mention priority code MWS0022Blog

CareFusion increased its overall customer satisfaction by 26 percentage points after implementing an Enterprise Feedback Management solution. Attend this webcast to learn how they did it.

Many companies are struggling with how to capture feedback from their customers, partners, and employees – and how to transform this feedback into real business results. Typical questions include:
• What are the critical steps in implementing a successful customer feedback program?
• How do I prevent the feedback from just ending up in a report with no business impact?
• How is enterprise feedback management affecting the bottom line?

CareFusion, formerly part of Cardinal Health, has successfully implemented the MarketTools CustomerSat enterprise feedback management solution across its service organization, elevating customer satisfaction to more than 90%.

Join us for this one-hour webcast to learn:
• The 9 critical steps in designing Enterprise-Wide Feedback Systems, and the costly mistakes to avoid
• How CareFusion moved from ad-hoc surveys to a systematic feedback program that translates to better service at every customer touchpoint
• How CareFusion improved overall customer satisfaction by 26 percentage points
• And much more….

Speakers
Justin Schuster, Vice President, EFM Solutions, MarketTools
Alan Kneale, Vice President, Technical Support Operations, CareFusion
Robert Freeden, Director, Product Support/Repair, CareFusion

Business Week names Customer Service Champs

Business Week recently announced its Customer Service Champions. See Business Week's presentation list here.

The Top Ten:

1 L.L. Bean
2 USAA
3 Apple
4 Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
5 Publix Super Markets
6 Nordstrom
7 Lexus
8 The Ritz-Carlton
9 Barnes & Noble
10 Ace Hardware

Guru Session: ...Turning Audiences into Brand Ambassadors

Join us for "Spreading the Word: Leveraging Word of Mouth to Drive Sales and Turn Audiences into Brand Ambassadors" at The Life Stage Marketing Summit 2010, this May 10-12 in Chicago.

Join Kathie Thomas and Jeff Davis of Fleishman-Hillard as they discuss how word of mouth is considered the most valuable and persuasive form of marketing these days. In fact, surveys show that nine of out every 10 consumers seek advice before making a purchase, and eight in 10 prefer advice from a peer rather than a so-called expert. These peer recommendations can increase the likelihood of purchase by 60 percent. Every company or organization has fans who would recommend their products to their peers. How can you transform them into and organized and mobilized team of brand ambassadors who authentically communicate the benefits of your brand in everyday conversations? Drawing upon the firm's 10 years of Word of Mouth experience, Fleishman-Hillard Senior Partner Jeff Davis and Director of Innovation Kathie Thomas will discuss the power of various World of Mouth channels, from Facebook and blogs to cell phones and chats across the backyard fence -- and how the Word of Mouth mix varies by age group.

Don't miss out!

The Life Stage Marketing Summit
Brochure Download
Register Today

Customer Service Woes for US Big Banks

Daily Finance reports that the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey was released today at the two biggest banks in the United States, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase have "consumers giving both institutions the thumbs down."

Dan Burrows says, "The reasons for the drops in satisfaction are pretty obvious, according to ACSI. Bank of America customers are suffering from the cost-cutting undertaken to offset higher-than-expected debt resulting from the Merrill Lynch acquisition. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase is having difficulties swallowing Washington Mutual -- and it's the customers who are getting indigestion."

Learn more: Big Banks Get Thumbs Down on Customer Service

Toronto's Transit Commission Vows to Improve Customer Service

InsideToronto.com reports that the city's transit commission, Toronto Transit Commission, has pledged to do better at serving their customers. According to the report, the TTC has been under fire for poor customer service in addition to a 25 cent increase in fares and a prevalent service interruptions. TTC Chair Adam Giambrone apologized for their low standards of customer service and said, "We all know that it went viral on the Internet, and we found that the TTC was at the root of a lot of ridicule across the system," Giambrone said. "These issues really highlight a need for us to focus on where we go in the future. We need to modernize our fare technology, we need to work with employees to enrich their jobs and we need to use our resources better."

Learn more: TTC unveils plan to help improve customer service

As TTC works to improve its customer service, what initiatives can they implement to ensure customer service sustainability? Could these initiatives be shared with other major metropolitan transit organizations?

The Life Stage Marketing Summit Full Program and Early Bird Savings!

Understand and maximize your customer lifetime value by knowing your customers better than anyone else, anticipating their needs and satisfying them first.
 
Knowing your customers inside and out is the key to innovation. These days, we're operating in a transparent "real time" world with abundant choice and increasing customer power. Identifying and focusing on core segments is critical. Understanding needs and behaviors and translating those insights into new business opportunities becomes the real foundation for achieving growth.
Are you ready to put 2009 to rest and focus on real growth in 2010?
 
Attend The Life Stage Marketing Summit
Exploring the intersection of life style and life stage marketing strategies allows you to deeply understand your customer segments beyond demographics. The key to achieving customer relevance means knowing your best customers even better so you can deliver on their current and future needs while identifying new high priority segments for new growth.

Event: http://bit.ly/8mOz1O
Brochure: http://bit.ly/9Z225b
Register Today: http://bit.ly/a9nDRO


Why Life Stage Marketing 2010 is a must attend:
· Learn from the best... Practitioner speakers share real life actionable case studies on Innovation, Trends, Segmentation, Market Research and Marketing and Loyalty-
· The IIR Motto: NO COMMERCIALISM from the platform
· Featured topics include: Behavioral Economics, Applying Key Information into Actionable Strategies, Anticipating the Future, Leveraging WOM, The Power of Experience Design, Driving Brand Relevance and Growth across Multiple Categories...
· Segments covered include: Millenials (Echo Boomers), Boomers, Gen X, Hispanic and Latin Americans
· NEW 360 Degree Trends Panel and Multiple Interactive Real Time Exercises
 
Delve Deeper...
· ALL Day Symposia Dedicated to Social Media & Technology

· ALL DAY Ethnographic Workshop: Using Ethnography as a Tool for Identifying Opportunities and Building Customer-Relevant Strategies at the Intersection of Lifestyle and Life Stage

· NOW CO-LOCATED with The Youth & Family Marketing Mega Event! The destination for those looking to deeply connect with all segments of the contemporary family to drive innovation, make smarter decisions and ultimately create what's next first, before your competitors.

Delta Airlines plans $1 billion revamp of customer service, entertainment options over next 3 years

The New York Daily News reports that Delta airlines is planning a $1 billion revamp of customer service, entertainment options over next 3 years. The airline is making the changes to lure corporate travelers who pay the highest fares. It is adding leather seats and upgraded lighting to all 269 aircraft it acquired through the 2008 purchase of Northwest. All wide-body planes will have in-seat video and audio on demand when the upgrades are complete, Delta said.

It's the "most significant" customer-service investment Delta has made in more than a decade, CEO Richard Anderson said.

Learn more: Delta Airlines plans $1 billion revamp of customer service, entertainment options over next 3 years

Is this enough for Delta to keep and serve their customers?

GM focuses on customer service

According to the Oakland Press, GM is now focusing on building quality customer service into their operations. Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, is focusing on creating a new type of company for GM, and taking a step by listening to exactly what customers have to say about their service. They're trying to create an environment where all employees can help the customers directly.

Reuss stated:

“This is the kind of service I’m talking about — person by person, customer by customer. This is the kind of customer focus we’re building throughout GM these days and the kind of service I expect all our employees to embrace whenever and wherever they can.”

Read the full article here.

Google's Nexus One Customer Service Problems

Infoworld.com reports that Google's Nexus One is causing some unforeseen customer service problems. As Google is selling the phone directly to customers, they no longer have the cellular phone middleman to handle customer service requests. Google appears to be only accepting e-mail customer queries, to which it pledges to reply in one to two days -- far too long, say most people who are complaining online.

Many people are also turning to T-Mobile and HTC, but getting little help there. T-Mobile is often referring people back to either Google or HTC for answers to questions. HTC is often referring people back to T-Mobile, according to complaints online.

Learn more: Google hit with Nexus One sales model complaints

How could this have been avoided?

Airlines continue to cut customer service

According to the Daily Herald of Chicago, United Airlines will cut more customer service representatives, 50 of whom work at the Chicago O'Hare Airport. Other customer service representatives are receiving a reduction in hours. They're encouraging customers to rebook their flights online. This occurs just as a snow storm is expected to roll into the area this weekend. Read the full article here.

Companies looking to social customer service post-holiday

According to Marketing Vox, many companies are relying on social media tools to accommodate the questions of the individuals using the tool for such questions as return policies. Companies such as Comcast, Dell, Southwest, and AT&T are fully using it as a customers service tool.

What do you think of companies using Twitter as a customer service tool? Have you had a pleasant experience as a customer using these tools? One interesting fact in the article was that customers who do use these social media tools for assistance expect a higher level of service. Read the article here.

Happy Holidays from Customers 1st

We're taking some much needed time off from our coverage of customer relationship management to celebrate the season with our loved ones. We want to sincerely thank you for your readership, your comments and your participation.

Here are our top posts from 2009:

Dell Delights Customers

NACCM 2009: Answering the Social Phone – Listening, Measuring, and Engaging in Social Media.

Hospital provides customer service training at the request of employees

We'll be back in January with more coverage.

We wish you Happy Holidays!

OFFICIAL CALL FOR PRESENTERS - Submission Deadline EXTENDED The Life Stage Marketing Summit Uncovering Opportunities for High Priority Segments

Email krivielle@iirusa.com by Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Life Stage Marketing Summit

May 10-12, 2010

Hotel Sax

Chicago

IIR is excited to announce that we are putting the finishing touches on the Life Stage Marketing Summit. We are looking for just a few more speakers to cover the following session topic areas: Social Media Strategies (measurement & ROI, branding and innovation are priority key themes), Marketing & Engagement for specific life stage or life style segments and research and Segmentation and Trend Insights, as it relates to understanding your key segments or emerging priority segments better. Case studies are particularly well received.

If you have an interesting case study or provocative perspective to share please contact me directly.

Session topics include but are not limited to:
· Transition in Life Stage: How Your Customer Evolves
· Breaking into New Life Stages without Alienating Your Consumer Base
· Products Across Life Stages - Which Ones Succeed and Why?
· Researching Life Styles and Stages: Tools and Techniques
· Innovating New Products or Services for Multiple Life Stages and Styles
· Common Threads and Differences in Specific Segments
· Creating an Authentic Message to Build Loyalty for Life
· Integrating New Trends into Traditional Products to Grow Your Brand
· Emerging Product Markets for Various Life Stages
· Product Life Stages: Introducing and Removing Products
· Ethnography for Universal Design
· The Spread of Technology through Life Stages
· Keeping Your Product Relevant as Your Consumer Ages
· Using Social Networks and Blogs as a Marketing Tool? What Works?
· The Right Mix of New Media to Reach Your Target Market
· Mobile and Online Marketing: Where Your Consumers Are
· Trends in Social Media and Technology
· How Your Consumers are Using Online Now
· Cutting Edge Trends: What's Next?

The Audience
Who will attend? Leaders from a variety of industries with responsibilities in:

· Marketing
· Market Research and Development
· Product and Brand Management
· Consumer, Customer, Shopper, Strategic Insights
· New Product Development/Management
· Strategic Planning and Development
· Customer Experience, Loyalty, Retention
· Business Development
· eMarketing/Social Media
· Innovation & Discovery
· Communications/Design


Speaker Benefits
Our speakers join us for countless reasons. Come include:
· To advance the purpose and value of reaching life stages and styles
· To showcase the critical role of reaching life stages and styles within their organization
· To network with their peers and other industry leaders and participate in high level, intellectual exchanges

Added Bonus: Each speaker will receive free admission to the conference (a $3000+ value) including admission to all conference sessions, networking breaks, lunches, exhibit hall, cocktail party, etc.

Submission Guidelines & Deadline
For consideration, please e-mail Kim Rivielle at krivielle@iirusa.com with the following information by Monday, December 14th:
· Proposed speaker name(s), job title(s), and company name(s)
· Contact information including address, phone and e-mail
· Title of presentation
· Brief overview of the presentation (1 short paragraph plus 2 bullets that illustrate audience takeaways): Please note: if your proposal is selected, portions of this description will be printed in the brochure and used online to promote your participation
· Previous conference presentation experience and/or brief speaker biography

Due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to respond to each submission. All those selected to participate as speakers will be notified shortly after the deadline.

Thank you for your interest in The Life Stage Marketing Summit!

All the best,

Kim Rivielle
Managing Director
Marketing and Business Strategy Division
Institute for International Research
krivielle@iirusa.com
708 Third Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10017

Budget cuts axe KS Medicaid customer service line

The Kansas City Star reports today that Medicaid budget cuts in Kansas have forced the state to axe its customer service line. Starting in February, a help line for doctors and pharmacists who provide Medicaid care in Kansas will close. Hours for a customer service line for Medicaid recipients will be “sharply” reduced.

The delays in confirming eligibility for new Medicaid applicants will grow. The state will cut $200,000 in funding earmarked for overtime and extra help to reduce the backlog.

Are there any other means of customer service that the state can introduce?

Learn more: Budget cuts axe KS Medicaid customer service line

Poor Customer Service Costs Billions

DestinationCRM.com reports that a new, "The Cost of Poor Customer Service: The Economic Impact of the Customer Experience and Engagement," may finally put the damage bad service can create into a language executive boards understand -- dollars and cents. According to the survey of 8,880 consumers across 16 countries, poor customer service cost an aggregate of $338.5 billion per year, the average value of each lost relationship across all countries surveyed costing $243.

Learn more: Poor Customer Service Costs Billions

Is this news to you? How are you leveraging the costs of customer service?

Customer service strategy more important in emerging markets

Barney Beal of SearchCRM.com reports today that customers in emerging markets seem to have more bad experiences to share thereby making a customer service strategy even more important for businesses. According to the results of a recent survey by Accenture,
the survey, conducted over the summer, found that 87% of consumers in emerging markets switched providers in at least one industry sector because of poor service in the past year. That's 18% more than the global average. And, the survey suggests, they're not hesitant to tell others about their experiences -- 69% tell their acquaintances about bad experiences and 25% use social media to spread the word. In emerging markets, 40% of consumers said they use blogs and other online media to tell others about their negative experiences.

Learn more: Customer service strategy more important in emerging markets