Category Archives: Customer service

Customer service, Newsbites, Operator, telecoms, UK

Telco industry ranks bottom in UK for customer service

The Institute of Customer Service has released its Customer Satisfaction Index stating the telco industry is the lowest ranked sector in the UK, reports Telecoms.com.

While the industry has made improvements over the last twelve months, it finished in last place with an index of 72.9, behind the likes of utilities and public services. The industry was one of the strongest improvers over the course of the last twelve months, improving its score by 1.2, it is still the industry with the highest numbers of complaints, 20% of customers compared to a national average of 12%.

“It’s encouraging to see the telecoms sector is making progress, but prevention is always better than cure, so the industry should take note of the areas which need to be focused on,” said Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service. “Efficiency, effectiveness and empathy are key and organisations should always follow up with customers to ensure that the problem is resolved.”

One statistic which could be seen as concerning for the industry is the number of customers who would be prepared to pay a higher cost for enhanced customer service. This was another area where the telco industry was ranking last with only 24% agreeing. The concern here would be surrounding the industry’s long-standing quest to avoid being relegated to the ranks of utilities, though the survey does suggest the industry is heading that direction.

Over the course of recent months, numerous value adds, bundle packages, brand marketing campaigns and customer services initiatives have been launched by the telcos in an effort to avoid being commoditised. Competing on price is worst case scenario for the industry, and despite the efforts, when surveys like this imply a high proportion of customers are basing their decision on price, in could indicate the industry is heading towards a ‘race to the bottom’.

In terms of best performers, giffgaff and Tesco Mobile were the highest performers in the telco industry, and the only two who featured into the top 50 overall.

Business Processes, Customer Relationship Management, Customer service, Field service management, Human Resources

Essential Features of Field Service Management Software

Field management software is a system that helps in the running of the business. It takes complete charge of dispatching activities. With this system one can ensure that his material will reach its destination on time.

A dispatcher needs to a keep tab with the driver on where the vehicle is and when will it reach. Constant phone calls connect them. But with this technology, the dispatcher does not have to worry. He can access the vehicle’s information as and when needed. The system helps in field service management and makes the administrator’s task simpler and stress-free. Some of the most important features to look for while buying field management software are:

Client Management

This feature helps you maintain records of your clients including your client’s contact details, purchase history and choices for a lifetime. Any feedback or note can also be stored. You can access the data anytime you want. This will help you to stay informed even on old client related matters thus helping you build strengthened relationships with your client.

Scheduling

This feature is the most vital part of the system. It helps you track the exact location of your vehicle. It also suggests which route to take while travelling. This saves the fuel costs and time taken for hunting the place. You can inform the customer about the exact time your representative will take to reach. This ensures that your delivery is made on time. Also, you can keep proper track of the schedule, work processes, breaks, and completion of any projects. The scheduling system helps you provide your customer with the best of service, thus building on the trust factor.

Billing

Your accounting team can relax as this feature in the system keeps an accurate record of your transactions and is capable of preparing instant bills. It helps to abolish the cumbersome paperwork. The system can take electronic signatures and work orders with an assurance that the data won’t be lost. Papers can be lost or damaged, but electronic data gets stored for a lifetime. Moreover, the customer can also pay your bills through electronic means. Time taken to complete a certain task and the amount of hours that a particular employee dedicates to the office are also evaluated.

Task Management

It is a feature that acts as a planner for your employees’ tasks which provides workforce management solutions. Employees can have their whole planner ready and inform you regarding the progress of each task. You can give them a deadline to inform when a specific task is expected to be complete. They can notify you once a particular task is completed while you can update them about the task that needs to be done on priority. Thus, all the tasks carried out by the employees can be easily monitored using the Task Management system.

Business Intelligence

This feature helps you to develop your business by giving analytic reports of your activities. It will help you identify your shortcomings and work on it beforehand. You can understand your own business better, which will help you to progress and keep abreast with consumer demands and expectations. You can also keep a check on your cash intake and expenditures on a regular basis.

Good field management software will help your business in many ways. It helps you to do away with unwanted tasks by acting as a waste management software too. The efficiency will boost customer satisfaction, and a happier customer is sure to bring more customers, more business and more profits to you.

Click here to get more information on Field Service Management.

Crittercism, Customer service, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Mobile, Partnerships, UserVoice

Crittercism, UserVoice Partner for Customer Communication Platform for Mobile App Developers

Crittercism announced that it has partnered with UserVoice to deliver a customer communication platform for mobile app developers. As a result, developers can now monitor and manage app performance, as well as communicate directly with customers in real-time through a single, easy-to-use dashboard on upcoming upgrades, support issues and more via the cloud.

App crashes and user support are the top two issues affecting user retention and in-app purchases. As such, customer support is critical and has a direct impact on app store ratings, reviews, customer engagement and revenues.

With UserVoice for iOS, mobile app developers using Crittercism’s robust Mobile APM solution can now easily insert a customer support contact form into iOS mobile applications, giving users the ability to provide direct feedback from an iPhone or iPad.

Furthermore, mobile app developers can now access hosted feedback forums that allow users to create, discuss and vote on ideas to help prioritize order of importance, giving developers an easy way to collect critical feedback and improve their apps in a timely manner. As a result, developers are able to benefit from a complete customer communication and support service that not only increases customer satisfaction as well as retention.

“Crittercism’s mobile APM solution is extremely flexible and we are able to easily integrate new technologies into our system that make developers’ lives easier,” said Andrew Levy, Crittercism’s co-founder and CEO. “We are pleased to expand on our platform to offer our developers new, unique ways to reach their customers to offer the best user experience possible and provide actionable ideas on how to improve their products.”

“Consumers today expect a seamless mobile app experience, and will often abandon an app based on continued crashes or other issues, especially if they aren’t able to quickly report and resolve them,” said Richard White, CEO of UserVoice. “With Crittercism, we are extending our customer communication, support and feedback capabilities to mobile app developers, giving them the most comprehensive, flexible and intuitive support solution for mobile applications.”

Customer service, Intellectual Property, Interactive voice response, Patent, United States Patent and Trademark Office

8×8 Issued New Contact Center Patent

8×8, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded a new patent related to its contact/call center technologies. On August 14, 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued United States Patent number 8,243,913, entitled “Limiting Contact in a Networked Contact Center Environment.”

The patent relates to, among other things, limiting contact to a networked contact center that is a host to multiple tenants. In an example embodiment, when a communication is received by a networked contact center, a contact rate value may be examined in order to determine whether to allow the communication to reach contact center resources. The contact rate value may represent an allowable quantity of contact within a time interval. For some example embodiments, a determination of whether the network contact center is to accept or reject the communication is made based on the contact rate value.

Since its establishment in 1987, 8×8 has been awarded 82 United States patents covering a variety of voice and video communications, signaling, processing and storage technologies.


Customer Relationship Management, Customer service, M&A Activity, Mobile, Technical support, Telecommunication, Xerox

Xerox Acquires UK-based WDS for Wireless Customer Experience Management

Xerox  has signed a definitive agreement to acquire WDS, a firm that provides technical support, knowledge management and related consulting to the world’s largest wireless telecommunication brands.

WDS uses a proprietary cloud-based platform called GlobalMineTM to capture, analyze and manage millions of technical support interactions across thousands of different mobile device types. WDS uses this data to help clients adjust, in real-time, any systemic issues and/or customer experience problems that their end-users may be experiencing with their devices or service.

Based in the United Kingdom, WDS has over 2,000 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

“WDS’s expertise in the telecommunications industry strengthens Xerox’s already broad portfolio of customer care solutions – differentiating us as a trusted partner for a rapidly evolving industry that requires reliable, accessible and scalable ways to support the complexity of their consumers’ needs,” said Chris Tranquill, president of the Xerox Telecommunications and Technology group.

Through its more than 48,000 call center employees who support clients in 150 locations, Xerox is a leading provider of customer care solutions, handling more than a million consumer interactions every day via the phone and Web.

Founded in 1995, WDS is led by CEO David Ffoulkes-Jones, who will continue with the company after the acquisition closes. “By focusing on the customer experience, wireless brands can drive greater loyalty and differentiation,” said Ffoulkes-Jones. “With Xerox, we now have the ability to accelerate our global expansion, add more value to our customers and deliver greater opportunities to our employees.”