Contact Center Solutions Featured Article

June 05, 2007

Study: High Tech Companies Improve Online Customer Service Experience

By Susan J. Campbell


Contact centers have migrated to multi-channel communication centers to not only take the load off of live center agents, but to also offer customers the option of more than one communication channel. It also facilitates service to the “always on” consumer sect that demands real-time information from any where and at any time.
 
However, despite the fact that many organizations are offering these additional channels, not all are keeping up with consumer demands for customer service. According to the Customer Respect Group, an international research and consulting firm that focuses on the way that corporations treat their online customers, some organizations are falling short, while others are making great improvements in customer service deliverables.
 
The group released the findings from its Second Quarter 2007 Online Customer Respect Study of the High-Technology and Computer Industry, the ninth time the company has researched this segment.
 
The study focused on the evaluation of Web sites of a respective sample of high-tech and computing companies and a directly comparable Customer Respect Index (CRI™) is provided for each company. The CRI is a qualitative and quantitative in-depth analysis and independent measure of a customer’s experience when interacting with a company via the Internet.
 
The average rating for the high-technology and computer industry was 6.3 on the 10-point CRI scale, ahead of all other major industry segments for the first time. This score indicates an improvement since the last report, primarily in two key areas. First, online communications, which has consistently been a weakness of the industry, has shown an improvement; and second, in Principles, which measures respect for customers’ personal data.

A full Scorecard is available from The Customer Respect Group at (978) 380.6128 or from the company website at http://www.customerrespect.com/default.asp?hdnFilename=bwhiq207.htm

The Customer Respect Group uses its Customer Respect Index to enable companies to improve their treatment of online customers. The company focuses on providing leadership in the objective and scientific measurement of a customer’s online experience. Many of the largest U.S. companies have already adopted the CRI methodology to improve online customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Ensuring that customers feel just as valued online as they do when talking to a live agent is essential for every organization that allows customers to interact via the Internet or a Web site. In nearly every industry, competition has tightened to the point that service deliverables are the only method of differentiation for the company. Unless high customer service levels are sought in every communication channel, the company will risk losing the customer to a competitor offering the better service experience.

Want to learn more about contact centers? Then be sure to check out TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP Communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents which are free to registered users. The papers are authored by industry leaders, who, in turn, receive qualified sales leads from interested parties. Check here for the latest in CRM information.
 
Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMC (News - Alert) and has also written for eastbiz.com. To see more of her articles, please visit Susan J. Campbell’s columnist page.
 
 
 


Related Contact Center Solutions Articles

    Interactive Intelligence, One of the Best Places to Work in Indiana

    We in the U.S. know from hard facts the challenges confronting the "Rust Belt" states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. They all for a variety of reasons saw their industrial bases decimated and have struggled to find their economic bearings. [ Read More ]
    05/15/2012

    LivePerson Receives 2012 CRM Excellence Award from CIS Magazine

    Commitment to customers and clients and expanding customer relationships lay the foundation for success, and LivePerson, Inc. was honored with Customer Interaction Solutions 2012 CRM Excellence Award from TMC for its effort to improve customer experience with LP Chat. "We are honored to be recognized by Customer Interaction Solutions for the value that our technology provides to our customers' relationships and ultimately their businesses," Robert LoCascio, founder and CEO at LivePerson, sai… [ Read More ]
    05/15/2012

    Customer Interactions Solutions Magazine Honors 24-7 Intouch as Top Teleservices Provider

    Canadian teleservices provider 24-7 Intouch was once again named to Customer Interactions Solutions Magazine's 27th Annual top 50 Teleservices Ranking list. The company ranked fifth in the Interactive category this year after earning the eighth slot in 2011 and the 31st ranking in 2010. 24-7 Intouch also placed fifth as an International Outbound and seventh as a National Inbound provider. [ Read More ]
    05/15/2012

    Domino's Pizza: Powered by the Cloud

    Domino's Pizza is on top of the pizza-delivery market in the UK and other parts of Europe, with over 720 stores across the UK, Republic of Ireland and Germany. Such popular and relied upon businesses need a solid, effective solution to communicating with customers and taking phone-in orders - traditional telecom solutions just don't cut it. [ Read More ]
    05/15/2012

[ View all Contact Center Solutions Articles ]

FOLLOW US

Contact Center Solutions Glossary of Terms

Featured Product Demo

    Contact Center Solutions eBook
    CIC has always been a powerful all-on-one solution for IP business communications. Now with the release of 4.0, CIC provides an architecture that's even more powerful, user tools to make the customer experience even more satisfying, and management tools that improve the performance of any business - dramatically ...

Featured eBook

    Contact Center Solutions eBook
    In this e-book from Interactive Intelligence, you'll learn about emerging contact center technology trends and newer options like self-service technology, analytics and Web 2.0. Here we've compiled a selection of the top news stories, features, white papers, case studies, podcasts ...

Featured Videos

Featured Resources

Ask the Expert

Press Releases