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Customer-Facing Identity: Securing and Monetizing Customer Relationships at Scale
The most effective organizations have the identity infrastructure in place to generate a single, unified view of their customer for better consumer…
Customer service
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LivePerson buys Germany’s Synchronite to add co-browsing to customer service tech
The not-at-all-creepily-named “digital engagement” firm LivePerson has bought a German startup called Synchronite for its co-browsing technology. The deal should help LivePerson…
StepOne snags $4M to bring customer care into the connected era
Customer service is becoming more painful for consumers who have more devices and a DIY ethos. StepOne offers software that can pick up context clues to figure out who’s calling and what she is calling about.
Verizon ends AT&T’s J.D. Power winning streak
AT&T may have won the crown on J.D. Power’s first two customer surveys this summer, but Verizon won the title that probably mattered the most to it. It ranked highest in network quality.
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AT&T is on a roll, scoring highest in J.D. Power’s purchase rankings
AT&T is putting something in the coffee at its retail store and call centers. For the second time in two weeks, AT&T has run away with the top scores in a J.D. Power consumer poll.
Nuance acquires VirtuOz, potentially lending a voice to online virtual agents
Nuance is buying online virtual sales and support assistant developer VirtuOz for an undisclosed price, our sources tell us. VirtuOz gives Nuance a stake in the enterprise virtual assistant market to match its presence in the enterprise mobile apps.
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Square rivals bank on live customer support to compete
Many of Square bigger rivals are hoping live customer support can help them compete against the startup. Square doesn’t offer a customer service line and handles questions primarily through email, forums, videos and a Twitter feed.
Nuance takes Siri down to the app level with new voice assistant
Nuance is offering up a new SDK that will allow big consumer-facing companies to embed virtual voice assistants directly into their mobile apps. Called Nina, the software is intended to cut through app clutter and allow customers to accomplish complex transactions through simple speech commands
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Survey says: Apple customer service a secret weapon
I dropped my iPhone 4 from three stories up. Less than a day later, I walked out of the Apple Store in Philadelphia with a brand new iPhone 4. The journey to get there was very impressive and partially explains, anecdotally, how Apple keeps customers.
T-Mobile cutting workforce by 1900, shuttering call centers
T-Mobile USA is consolidating its customer service call centers, shutting down seven facilities in six states by the end of June but hiring new staff in its remaining 17 call hubs. The reorganization will result in T-Mobile’s workforce shrinking by 1900 staff, or 5 percent.
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3 accurate metrics for ROI on social media campaigns
Businesses are struggling with how to evaluate the effectiveness of their social media campaigns. Currently, most companies are using metrics that fail to provide a clear picture of which marketing programs are increasing their revenues. Here, Sudha Jamthe outlines five metrics that accurately measure success.
13 New Lessons in Customer Service from a (Good) Car Salesman
OK, so it’s over one month later, and I finally got a car. I’m actually pleasantly surprised by my final day of…
A Tale of Two Hard Drives: Apple’s Secret Weapon?
In my day job, helping people with computers, I see many failed hard drives. If the computer is under warranty, I’ll always…
Web Work 101: Be Your Own Tech Support
I’m not suggesting you crack open your computer to fix it, but with a few of the tactics outlined in this post…
I’m a Bad Boy: “Ordered” Two iPhone 3G Ss, But Only Getting One
After the iPhone 3G S announcement, I knew I was getting one. Actually, I knew that even before the announcement, since for…
How to Rebuild a Working Relationship With Difficult Clients
Many freelancers, especially at the beginning of their careers, may find themselves working with very difficult clients. When this has happened to me, either I helped change the client’s working behavior or stopped working with them altogether. While I always aim for the former approach, sometimes the better option is to end the working relationship. Whenever this happens I hope that if I do work with the client again in the future, they’ll be more cooperative — but that’s not guaranteed.
When one of your more difficult clients contacts you for a new project, how do you work with them again, without repeating the problems you previously had?
Handling Angry Clients
You can’t please everybody. There’s a reason why that line is a cliché. I’ve yet to hear of a freelancer who never…
Quote of the Day: Homerun? Nah. Just Get On Base!
Ok, you’ve had days where you felt the way that this guy looks. Smaa-ck! Now consider this: He got on base. It’s…
Customer Service in a Web World
Shortly after posting a recent article about Google Documents, I was emailed by a director in the Google Documents team requesting more…
Samsung Q1 Ultra Premium: the bad
Although I’m initially impressed with the performance of the new Q1 Ultra Premium, it’s not all a “happy, happy, joy, joy” situation.…
Question for Facebook: Better to Ask First, or Apologize Later?
An old management adage says ‘tis better to apologize later, than ask for permission first.’ This is typically intended to encourage entrepreneurial…
Founder Craig Newmark Talks 'Turkey'
Craiglist founder Craig Newmark chatted breifly with Into the Box host Rachel Natalie Klein about how to find an apartment in New…
Google’s Blogger Adds Support for Video
Google’s Blogger blogging service is finally catching up with the times. It is now adding video uploading to the service, making it…
08/08/2004 Randomly Speaking…
Broadband by the beach: Nantucket, Hermosa Beach, Cocoa Beach all go WiFi A billion dollar playout for Bill Gates Bill Gates will…
