Articles

Articles

Customer feedback solutions: what to look for

Customer feedback software platforms measure key customer experience metrics – such as customer effort, customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS). The technology can be implemented across multiple channels in contact centres and online. “Please rate the performance of your customer service representative,” or so the message goes at the end of a call to….

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Get proactive with outbound, multi-channel customer interaction

Proactive outbound is a platform for outbound customer engagement which goes beyond telephone-based cold calling to encompass “warm calling”, email, SMS, web chat, mobile app, instant messaging, and social media communications. Organisations that contact their customers proactively benefit from reduced churn, greater share of wallet and revenue growth. Further, customer experience improves when customers receive….

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Customer Loyalty Programs: 3 Elements common to the World’s best

Successful customer loyalty programs have the capacity to attract and retain high-value customers who drive advocacy, and in turn help transform the brand. The world’s best loyalty programs have 3 things in common. They are: Simple – to join, participate, understand Emotional – by making members feel pleasure; important as individuals; and a sense of belonging to something meaningful Valuable –….

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Top 5 Customer Engagement Innovations

It’s been a big year for creative new solutions in the customer engagement space. Matchboard has picked five top innovations which build bridges between the contact centre and marketing to deliver great customer experience – and business results. Smart lead allocator In a telemarketing environment, imagine a tool that enables you to get the right….

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How to recruit staff that LOVE your organisation

The term culture can at times be the elephant in the room.  All managers will boast that they have the best culture or that they need to hire staff who fit in culturally.  But what does this really mean?  How does an organisation find people who are in tune with its direction and the behaviours it wants exhibited?  Let’s….

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The key to managing surges in customer contact: Rapid Deployment

Calls are going through the roof, your social media assets are on fire, and you’re in panic mode…sound familiar? Every day, this scenario plays out somewhere around the country – after all, no organisation is immune to surges in customer contact, whether planned or unplanned. The good news is that through Rapid Deployment and planning,….

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How to give customers online visibility of call wait times

Peaks and troughs in call traffic have historically been considered something contact centres just have to deal with, through effective workforce management strategies. But what if the tables were turned and there was a way to smooth out those call arrival times in the first place?  A simple technology interface now offers just such a….

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The changing world of customer service at Staples

Since this interview, Brian Beveridge has moved to a new role. Please consult LinkedIn for up-to-date information. Brian Beveridge, Head of Customer Service at Staples Australia/New Zealand, speaks with Matchboard in our series of exclusive client interviews. What are the most important metrics to your contact centre? Our Customer Service teams cover a broad range of….

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A blueprint for managing a social media crisis

Let’s put things in perspective: we’ve all heard about social media crises, and what companies need to do to prevent them. However, if we look at the definition of a crisis: “a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger”, we need to be careful not to create storms in teacups. Not every negative comment on a company….

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Working in a Virtual World

Thanks to technology and globalisation, many of us are working in a “virtual world” – from virtual offices, with virtual project teams, and participating in virtual events. This virtual world gives us access to knowledge, international markets and diverse resources like never before. Let’s look at how. Virtual offices A good virtual office in Australia….

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Tips for Offshore Knowledge Transfer

Offshoring contact centre and back office operations requires a lot of planning and understanding of cultural differences. A simplistic “let’s drop it into Manila” approach is geared for failure. Here are some tips for effective knowledge transfer into Asia. Why knowledge transfer is important Assuming that the offshore talent acquired is on target, knowledge transfer….

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Best Practices for Web Chat

Popping up a web chat box on your website works best when it is targeted to users who are most likely to need help. Initiating a chat session with every user not only creates an atmosphere of intrusiveness, alienating some customers, but also is very costly and often a wasted effort. The key is to….

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Tips for Contact Centre Technology Procurement

Looking to replace or review your contact or call centre technology or telephony platform?  Here are some simple tips to set you on your way. Understand your business requirements Most companies look at the capabilities of their current technology and operational processes, and use this as the basis for their business requirements. This approach inevitably….

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Build Trust, Grow Business with Customer Reviews

Online customer reviews and ratings are surging in importance for consumer businesses. It’s no wonder. Research shows that 92% of Internet users read product reviews when investigating a service or product, with 89% saying they influence their purchase decision. In the travel industry (where hotels, airlines, resorts and even the choice of food in the….

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Healthdirect: delivering health information and advice, online and on the phone

Since this interview, Carlo Leonessa has moved to a new role. Please consult LinkedIn for up-to-date information. In the third in a series of exclusive client interviews, Matchboard speaks with Carlo Leonessa, General Manager, Service Delivery at Healthdirect Australia. What role does Healthdirect Australia fulfil in delivering health information and advice to the Australian public? Healthdirect Australia designs….

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