Customer Service

There’s a common misconception that technology in general and artificial intelligence (AI) in particular will disrupt retail customer service the same way it disrupted manufacturing. Fear not. Technology is certainly contributing to contact center evolution, but uniquely human traits like empathy and situational dexterity are so central to the customer experience that robots will never…

Most of you would say “yes” to this question. But do you really know the level of customer service you're providing in the eyes of your customers? According to an article in a local newspaper by Gad Allen, faculty director of the Jerome Fisher Program of Management and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, “statistics…

After a year-plus of remote schooling, students and faculty are flocking back to the classroom this fall — and stocking up on supplies for it. Deloitte forecasts that back-to-school spending will reach $32.5 billion this year, up 16 percent from last year and 17 percent from 2019. While this expected influx of business should be…

Every retailer has seen a massive surge in digital interactions over the last 18 months. The disruption of COVID-19 made even the most tech-shy consumers turn to digital channels — and they liked what they found. A recent international survey by OnePoll revealed that 58 percent of consumers say they’ll continue to have more digital…

The omnichannel approach to customer experience (CX) has become an essential investment among companies focused on maintaining a strong brand reputation. It means providing a unified experience through all channels and platforms that consumers use to interact with the brands they shop. In other words, it’s become more important than ever to communicate the same messages across all channels in which customers choose to engage.…

Don’t get me wrong, this post is really about great customer service. There will be tips, too. But first, a quick update to my readers: In late 2019, after 20 years, I gave up my marketing consulting practice. I was done, burnt out, sick of dealing with C-levels and, most importantly, making them a fortune…

Workforce turnover has reached an all-time high with a record 9.2 million vacancies. In June, the number of Americans who quit their jobs increased by 164,000 to 942,000, and retail is leading the charge with the most resignations of any industry. The resulting labor shortage has retailers across the country struggling to keep enough qualified people…

It's become commonplace for a number of industries in the past year to have customers booking in advance to do things. Yet, as things mercifully get back to normal with widespread vaccine rollouts, the idea of booking in advance to visit the grocery store is beginning to fall out of favor given the immediate danger…

With the onset of COVID-19, the world changed. As a result, businesses had to efficiently (and swiftly) pivot their planning to adapt to the new lifestyle everyone was now experiencing. During this period, retailers that could quickly and effectively shift strategies rose to the top. Additionally, those that enhanced their customer experience stepped into the…

Traditional chatbots have become commonplace on e-commerce sites, yet too many are becoming unreliable and are alienating consumers due to their limitations. This is because many retailers rely on what's called "rule-based" chatbots when instead they should be implementing conversational artificial intelligence (AI), two terms often used interchangeably, but which are actually very different. Conversational…