test wp links by Robert Bacal Leave a Comment on test wp links test https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2014/12/10/consumers-are-no-longer-brand-loyal/ In this Forbes article, the author contends that brand loyalty is dead. Consider this: If brand loyalty is dead, what are the implications for business strategies and tactics. https://martech.zone/social-media-customer-experience/ More consumers than ever are looking to communicate with brands via social media, and your company won’t be able to compete if you don’t join in. Every interaction matters, and ignoring customers is simply not an option — doing so will have a negative effect on customer experience, and in turn, hurt your bottom line. https://www.creativelysquared.com/blog/how-to-improve-customer-loyalty-using-social-media There are some gems in this relatively short article on improving customer loyalty via social media, but the suggestions require you to THINK a bit about the implications. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a102/c64bcab93ce95a09eea4229998c42b6498c4.pdf Some tips and suggestions about how one can (theoretically) make use of social media to generate customer loyalty. I do not subscribe to all the tips in this. http://customerthink.com/why-most-online-communities-are-destined-to-fail/ Touches on a few reasons why online communities fail, but the real value here is in its focus on creating brand advocates that are active on your online community. https://www.zdnet.com/article/twelve-best-practices-for-online-customer-communities/ What then is the secret formula for building successful communities for your customers? Certainly there are well known success stories to examine for clues. One good example is Dell’s online community which it famously used for a corporate image turnaround last year and remains one of the most highly regarded and highly trafficked customer community properties. Another is SAP’s various customer communities, with over a million registered business and technical users and a high degree of participation.””What can we learn from these success stories and a rapidly emerging set of business practices? http://customerthink.com/the-perils-of-a-neglected-online-community/ It’s shocking how many companies set up online communities and then don’t staff it, or let it “do what it does”. Even major companies like amazon make this mistake. Here’s more. http://customerthink.com/reality_check_branded_online_communities_outperform_facebook_in_consumer_buying_decisions/ Which is better for business? Facebook, or third party branded online communities like getsatisfaction. Here’s some research findings that suggest the winner is NOT Facebook, but mind the fact this is a single “study” and not definitive. http://customerthink.com/online_customer_communities_5_ways_to_increase_customer_lifetime_value/ The author provides 5 reasons to build and take advantage of an online customer community. I find the title misleading, but there’s some good thinking here on lifetime customer value, and how to use information from your customer community to increase customer retention and engagement. https://www.mycustomer.com/selling/crm/how-to-calculate-the-roi-of-customer-communities Setting up a customer community on your website brings a wealth of advantages to businesses, from co-creation to lowering support costs to acquiring new customers, but proving the value and ROI to CMOs and CFOs is not easy. To get the initial funding and keep support coming for an owner community, you must be able to clearly measure and communicate this, says Forrester analyst Zachary Reiss-Davis. In his new report, The ROI of “Owner” Communities, Reiss-Davis provides a framework to estimate the ROI of your community, based on three qualitative benefits. https://www.futurelab.net/blog/2008/07/do-branded-online-communities-fail?action Today a lot of people are talking and writing about a new report from Deloitte looking at online communities, the 2008 Tribalization of Business Survey. The report is based on interviews with 100 firms that are sponsoring branded online communities, looks at what they are doing and what benefits they are reaping.””Of all the coverage of this report today, the Wall Street Journal prompted a debate on why most online communities fail. The claim is based on findings that 35% of the communities studied have fewer than 100 members and that apparently 60% of the firms has spent over $1 million on the site. This leads the analyst from Deloitte to comment http://customerthink.com/designing_metrics_for_online_customer_communities/ Useful, usable and engaging, these are the qualities that successful online customer communities are made of. But, while all good community leaders within an organization hold these core values close, when business stakeholders start asking for hard ROI metrics, most community teams get a little nervous about how to prove value and define success. So, when the “what has community done for me lately” question get launched, panic sets in and people start to make dashboards and spreadsheets and charts galore. Community managers send reports off to leadership with fingers crossed and a heavy heart because they know the data isn’t truly indicative. But they don’t know a better way to communicate outcomes. http://www.bloomgroup.com/content/how-build-online-b2b-community Interview regarding use of online communities from the perspective of business to business. https://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Web-Exclusives/Viewpoints/Customer-Communities-The-Centerpiece-of-CXM-95478.aspx Customer service doesn’t have to be the frustrating experience we’ve come to expect. Exceptional experience is the result of a two-pronged approach, in which customers and companies engage in a reciprocal, mutually beneficial dynamic. Value in this relationship is created from the inside-out for customers–as employees help resolve issues, provide support, and answer questions–but also from the outside-in for businesses–where users and prospects share feedback and suggestions for product and service improvement. It sounds simple enough, but without the right platform, tools, and training, this dialogue cannot occur. How can you foster this type of customer-company conversation that results in exceptional experiences? The answer lies in a customer community. How can you leverage the customer community as the centerpiece for customer experience? Follow the six steps below. https://www.crmbuyer.com/story/If-You-Build-a-Branded-Online-Community-Will-Customers-Come-67790.html User groups take on a new meaning with the advent of social networking technologies, which provide the means for sharply heightened communication and collaboration. However, even with the best toolkit, the onus remains on the company to offer a value proposition that will make customers eager to participate. http://360connext.com/community-managers-as-customer-advocates/ I’m not sure I agree that customer advocacy should be in the realm of community managers, but that’s the point of this article. http://blog.leadernetworks.com/2011/03/10-rules-for-online-community-success.html Short and sweet with bullet points, and still useful. As social is an emerging trend, many have put down their soapboxes to talk about online communities. Consequently, there is some good (and lots of just OK) advice “out there” on building online customer communities — yielding a great deal of information to sort through and parse. While theory is interesting, there is a practical side to us all – especially when endeavoring to act. And, human nature craves rules; rules to be examined, adapted and applied. Having built award-winning online communities for 20 years, I am boiling my journey down to a simple set of 10 implementable actions for online community best practice in hopes that it accelerates your community successes. http://customerthink.com/8_online_community_management_tips_to_increase_customer_engagement/ Pretty cool. Some nice graphics and thinking in terms of improving your online community as a customer service tool. http://customerthink.com/6_characteristics_of_awesome_online_communities_that_every_executive_should_know_infographic/ In a recent article, Marisa Peacock lays out 6 elements of successful online communities. The piece includes a great infographic that highlights these building blocks. https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-tips-for-building-a-community-management-strategy/ Are you looking to build a community management strategy for your business? Here are five ways to get started building an effective community management strategy. Social media allows great opportunity for building relationships and communicating directly with customers. To facilitate these relationships, the role of community manager is becoming increasingly important for all types of businesses. Usually, community managers are the social media voices of their brands, fulfilling multiple roles including social media strategists, customer service managers, content creators, product managers and evangelists. https://www.text100.com/social-media/4-reasons-your-brand-needs-a-community-manager/ Addresses the question: Does my company need a dedicated community manager for its online presence? http://customerthink.com/3-tricks-to-make-it-easy-for-busy-executives-to-participate-in-your-online-community/ In the keynote article at the top of this page, we mentioned having visible involvement of executives in your customer community as a very important element. But how do you GET busy executives to participate? This article provides some ideas. Make it easy for them. https://www.business2community.com/customer-experience/3-reasons-need-threaded-conversations-social-customer-service-01017150 If you run customer service communities, you need to pay attention. Your interactions require threaded conversations, so your software needs to support that. Oddly enough LinkedIn doesn’t. https://mashable.com/2012/03/15/community-manager-engagement-tips/#FhMTs9G_rqqm If you manage an online community or run a customer service community check this out: 12 top community managers share their thoughts and ideas. http://customerthink.com/10_things_about_building_an_online_community_that_may_surprise_you/ Linking a private social network to your website is straightforward. However, creating a successful online customer community or member community can be difficult. It takes an abundance of customers, an understanding of your audience, staff resources, a solid strategy, and the right social technology. As with any enterprise business challenge, this complexity leads to various levels of understanding and expertise in the marketplace.””To help corporations and membership organizations dig beyond surface level guidance and gain an understanding how to create a thriving private online community for your customer or members, I have laid out 10 rarely talked about tips that executives should internalize as they develop their customer or member engagement strategies: https://www.disneyinstitute.com/about/case-studies/insurance/humana-saved-50-million-simply-by-improving/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/micahsolomon/2015/09/24/your-customer-service-style-is-your-brand-the-ritz-carlton-case-study/#6be9f0a55efe https://blog.hubspot.com/service/good-customer-service http://www.customerserviceexcellence.uk.com/UserFiles/File/Casestudies/ROSSENDALEV2.pdf http://customerthink.com/our-visit-to-zappos-40-lessons-learned-and-shared/ https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=338604 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1512072 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=969770 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=393042 http://www.1to1media.com/customer-engagement/cost-poor-customer-service https://hbr.org/2010/07/stop-trying-to-delight-your-customers http://old.seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017083641_retailservice24.html https://phys.org/news/2014-12-corporate-responsibility-eases-customer-reactions.html https://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/new-report-examines-global-trends-in-customer-service-022999.php https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100217114642.htm https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1010457 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100722161150.htm https://hbr.org/2018/07/research-glowing-reviews-arent-always-the-most-persuasive https://hbr.org/2014/08/the-value-of-customer-experience-quantified https://www.superoffice.com/blog/customer-service-benchmark-report/ This research study is interesting for two reasons. One: It found absolutely abysmal response rates from companies receiving emails, and Two: It used a methodology that relies on actual company behavior, and not self-reports. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_aaaa1022/ Studies show that the biggest influence on customer loyalty is customer service. 82% would do business with a company again based on a great call center experience. This white paper covers tips and best practices for the call center professional on how to deal with problems that come up with customers in a call center situation. It can also serve as a guide for Call Center Managers to train their employees on how to handle a variety of customer situations. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_aaaa2198/ New data on consumer behavior shatters the hype about Twitter and Facebook. Does the hype and focus placed on social media translate into real business value? A sobering investigation into the facts shatters the sentiment that those who hesitate on offering social customer service are missing out on immense opportunity. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_aaaa2508/ Customer Service Directors, find out how to design your site for usability, findability and relevance with this how-to guide. Customers increasingly want to take care of business by themselves–right on your website. Studies show they don’t always want to interact with you directly. The resulting opportunities to cut contact center costs are huge. But if the online self-service experience doesn’t deliver, your phones will keep on ringing. Successful self-service leads customers to more than answers. It enables them to transact business and solve problems. If you want your customers to help themselves, make sure they actually can. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_aaaa3153/ Request Your Free Guide Now: “Deploying Online Self-Service: The Definitive Guide” Request If you’re curious about getting online self-service right, but feeling like you “don’t know what you don’t know” our new guide is here to help. Download this guide to get right up to speed on what it takes to deliver a digital customer interaction experience that’s satisfying for your customers and profitable for you. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_bluj35/ Let’s look at how the customer experience of an angry customer informs strategy, and how companies can transform frustrated customers into delighted ones. We don’t want to ruin your good mood, but humor us for a moment and think back to a time when a company made you angry. Specifically, remember that moment you contacted customer service because of some error, mishap, or malfunction, only to hang up the phone feeling even more irritated. Perhaps you were on hold for too long; maybe you were transferred ten times before getting an answer; or maybe your support agent was unhelpful and insincere. If you resolved to never do business with that company again, we wouldn’t be surprised. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_getb15/ This book expertly details the inside route to heroic customer service. In this summary, you will learn What constitutes great customer service How to avoid the “seven service triggers,” How to deal with “nightmare customers” How to become a “hero” to your customers https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_marm01/ This cheat sheet covers ten fundamentals of customer service to help your business excel. Mark Sanborn may not be able to lead your organization out of its customer service wilderness, but if you follow his 10 Commandments for serving your customers, you’ll be headed towards the promised land of satisfied customers, repeat business and referrals! https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_bluj59/ From tracing the evolution of customer service to avoiding viral social blunders, these 5 curated articles will help you get on the path to stellar social customer service. If you answered the headline with a yes – give yourself a major pat on the back. You are out there setting the standard for others to follow (And please, get in touch so we can get you signed on for a guest blog spot). If you answered “no, our social customer care is most definitely not kicking ass” – don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve curated five thought-provoking blogs that will help you get on the path to best-in-class social customer care. Whether you’re working with an outsourced strategic partner or whether you are operating with an in-house customer service solution, these posts are must-read content as you work on improving your customer experience on social media. https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_bluj67/ Are you prepared for the future of customer service? Did you know that 32% of customers worldwide will quit doing business with a brand – even if they love it – because of just one bad experience? This statistic from a PwC survey is an eye-opener for any organization that interfaces with customers on a regular basis. But what constitutes a bad experience? Although the surface reasons may be broad, often the root cause is a failure to evolve the customer service solution https://work911.tradepub.com/free/w_berr12/ Create a customer service environment that attracts and maintains engaged customers. This 313 page sample is a combination of 3 informative books devoted to customer service. These books include: Branded Customer Service – The New Competitive Edge A practical guide to moving service delivery to a new level so that brand reinforcement occurs every time customers interact with organizational representatives. Janelle Barlow and Paul Stewart show how to infuse an entire organization with brand values and create a recognizable style of service that reflects brand promises and brand images. Magnetic Service — Secrets for Creating Passionately Devoted Customers Provides a provocative yet practical blueprint for going beyond mere customer loyalty to create and sustain customer devotion. Devoted customers not only forgive you when you err but actually help you correct what caused the mistake. They don’t just recommend you; they assertively insist that their friends do business with you. Emotional Value — Creating Strong Bonds With Your Customers. Offers customer service managers and supervisors dozens of proven ideas, innovative options, and powerful examples of organizations that systematically add emotional value to their customers’ experience. Download this book bundle to help your organization use customer service as the powerful tool that it is.
