Customer Service

eBay Tries to Placate Shoppers After Coupon Bungle
June 29, 2015 at 2:09 pm

A marketing campaign designed to get eBay customers re-engaged went terribly wrong recently, and shoppers are underwhelmed by eBay's attempt to placate them after it reneged on the offer. eBay UK had sent shoppers coupons for 20 percent off a purchase of 20 pounds or more, with a maximum coupon value of 50 pounds. However,…

3 Must-Haves to Grow Customer Lifetime Value
June 19, 2015 at 5:07 pm

To increase customer lifetime value (CLV), your business needs to be able to meet each customer’s individual expectations over and over again. Those expectations vary widely from one customer to the next, of course. However, when it comes to recurring purchases or usage, customers demand three things in particular: speed, choices and personalization. Delivering on…

Alibaba's Next Bet is Robots
June 19, 2015 at 3:34 pm

Alibaba wants to put a robot, specifically one named Pepper, in your home — or store. The Chinese e-commerce giant and Foxconn Technology Group announced they're each investing $117.8 million in Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank’s robotics unit, SoftBank Robotics Holding Corp. Softbank will own 60 percent of the joint venture, with Alibaba and Foxconn each…

Listen Up, Ace Hardware Talks Customer Service
June 10, 2015 at 4:35 pm

Ace Hardware is consistently recognized for its outstanding customer service. Just this month the home improvement retailer was ranked "highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores," the ninth year in a row Ace Hardware has taken the top spot. It's not hyperbole to say Ace Hardware is an expert when it comes to…

Vera Bradley’s Remarkably Frank Admission: We Don’t Have Enough New Customers
June 4, 2015 at 3:01 pm

Shares of Vera Bradley, a company best known for its quilted-cotton handbags, hit an all-time low Wednesday, and investors can thank Chief Executive Robert Wallstrom’s candor. “We are not attracting enough new customers to the brand,” he said in a news release accompanying the earnings, forgoing the typical corporate-speak that glosses over problems. Wallstrom later…

5 Ways to Keep Pace With New Customer Service Trends
May 21, 2015 at 4:08 pm

It's sadly ironic that contact centers are frequently staffed by mobile-enabled, always-connected agents who in turn support mobile-enabled, always-connected customers, but do so with antiquated processes, technologies and incentive systems. New research from LogMeIn and Ovum shows that while the majority of consumers typically turn to the web for answers before contacting customer service, only…

Ace Hardware Launches Division That Will Teach Customer Service
April 3, 2015

Ace Hardware has always been known for its "helpful hardware folks" motto, but now the company is taking its customer service knowledge global. The retailer has launched the Ace Center for Excellence, a new division designed to share the strategies and key principles of the brand's unparalleled commitment to customer service with businesses and organizations around the world. According to Ace, the center's goal is to help companies improve upon their customer experience based on Ace's award-winning approach through customized solutions, such as keynotes and workshops.