AI for customer service
AI for customer service manifests itself in numerous use cases, including customer sentiment analysis, automated chatbot conversations, and automated authoring of suggested live-agent answers to customer questions. AI tools can analyze questions posed online and match other agents' most effective solutions to them. Read about these and other use cases for AI in customer support.
Top Stories
-
Feature
09 Nov 2022
AI-powered CRM platforms compared
CRM vendors can apply fundamental AI capabilities in various ways. Learn about the similarities and differences between AI functionality in the major CRM platforms. Continue Reading
-
Tip
03 May 2022
Best practices for initiating chatbot-to-human handoff
Contact centers perform a balancing act between AI and human agents. Support teams must train bots on chatbot-to-human handoffs and design AI aware of customer frustration. Continue Reading
-
News
22 Sep 2020
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service to add voice channel
Leading a host of CX releases, Microsoft plans to add native voice telephony and voice-channel hooks for chatbots and transcription into its contact center platform. Continue Reading
-
Guest Post
22 Sep 2020
How can companies handle CX opportunities during COVID-19?
The COVID-19 impact on in-person shopping experiences has changed customer service expectations; now companies must find ways to compete in e-commerce against Amazon and others. Continue Reading
-
News
18 Sep 2020
Oracle CX upgrades focus on field service, contact center
Oracle adds self-service features, field tech tools and call center capabilities to its CX stack in response to customers' business needs in pandemic. Continue Reading
-
Answer
18 Sep 2020
What's the difference between CRM and database marketing?
Database marketing is a component of customer relationship management. CRM includes all processes, strategies and tools to support sales, marketing and customer service initiatives. Continue Reading
-
News
08 Sep 2020
Salesforce e-commerce capabilities to expand with Mobify
Salesforce beefs up its headless e-commerce platform capabilities for enterprise retail customers with the acquisition of Mobify, a Canadian headless commerce hosting vendor. Continue Reading
-
Tip
08 Sep 2020
Evaluate call center outsourcing costs and benefits
Outsourcing call center operations can take some financial burden off businesses -- depending on what partner they choose. But there can also be some drawbacks. Continue Reading
-
News
03 Sep 2020
Emerging Genesys cloud strategy makes Amazon friend and foe
Amid a leadership change, Genesys retools cloud strategy, adds partnerships with Infosys, Adobe and others as its relationship to Amazon and AWS veers toward 'co-opetition.' Continue Reading
-
Guest Post
02 Sep 2020
The importance of personalized experience in CX
Musa Hanhan breaks down the three stages of customer experience and explains why personalized experiences offer companies the best chance at customer retention. Continue Reading
-
News
01 Sep 2020
Salesforce Field Service features added to Winter '21 Release
Salesforce Field Service users can better pinpoint arrival times for their customers as well as other new capabilities coming in the Winter '21 Release. Continue Reading
-
Tip
31 Aug 2020
How video chat improves customer service and engagement
As restrictions continue due to the COVID-19 crisis, many organizations adopt video chat capabilities to continue business operations and keep customers engaged. Continue Reading
-
Guest Post
28 Aug 2020
Are you a customer experience leader or laggard?
Organizations need to invest now in customer experience to ensure they're leaders in their industry. They cannot risk falling behind their competitors with their CX initiatives. Continue Reading
-
News
28 Aug 2020
Twilio Flex deployed for COVID-19 contact-tracing agents
Tech teams supporting agents working remotely on COVID-19 surveillance efforts in several U.S. cities and the state of Illinois eschew traditional IT and opt for cloud platforms. Continue Reading
-
News
26 Aug 2020
Salesforce confirms around 1,000 layoffs after monster quarter
Salesforce says COVID-19 did not precipitate the layoff of about 1,000 employees, but the pandemic did show the company where customer needs are headed. Continue Reading
-
Tip
26 Aug 2020
How customer transparency helps companies maintain loyalty
In an age when customers have more options than ever before, it's essential that businesses gain and maintain customer trust -- and that happens through customer transparency. Continue Reading
-
Tip
26 Aug 2020
How businesses can align sales and marketing
Many organizations are moving away from siloed marketing and sales departments and instead choosing to work more closely, which can both grow a business and reduce costs. Continue Reading
-
News
25 Aug 2020
Zendesk Support, Sunshine CRM expand data sharing, analytics
New Zendesk Explore Enterprise analytics and data visualization tools enable small and midsize users to create dashboards to share across organizations. Continue Reading
-
News
19 Aug 2020
Salesforce pulls plug on Einstein Voice Assistant
Salesforce's voice assistant made a big splash at Dreamforce last year, but the AI tool -- personified with the Einstein brand -- didn't survive the pandemic. Continue Reading
-
Answer
19 Aug 2020
How to calculate call center utilization rates
Call center utilization rates provide managers with information about agent productivity, and businesses can use these rates to calculate efficiency of agents. Continue Reading
-
News
18 Aug 2020
E-commerce business growth slows, but still a boom period
As the world partially reopens businesses shuttered due to the pandemic, new e-commerce tech investments may make gains from earlier this year permanent. Continue Reading
-
Feature
18 Aug 2020
Diversity in customer experience hinges on root-cause analysis
Sandra Mathis and Stephanie C. Harris discuss diversity and inclusion, and the necessity of addressing them at an internal level before customers see change. Continue Reading
-
Tip
14 Aug 2020
How to collect customer data to improve overall retail CX
Businesses need data to predict and adjust to customer wants and needs, but first, they need to figure out how to collect it. One option is to use a digital CX software. Continue Reading
-
Guest Post
07 Aug 2020
What to consider for a contact center remote working strategy
Colin Taylor suggests 11 areas that a good contact center work-from-home policy should address, including who provides equipment, workforce management, coaching and more. Continue Reading
-
Tip
07 Aug 2020
Average handling time calculation is critical to contact centers
Knowing how to calculate average handling time is an essential component of contact center management, as it helps to determine proper staffing levels within the department. Continue Reading
-
Guest Post
05 Aug 2020
How to build a world-class customer experience system
Megan Burns highlights the first four building blocks necessary for building a customer experience -- core journeys, criteria, blueprints and safety nets -- in this first article of a two-part series. Continue Reading
-
News
03 Aug 2020
Adobe AI-based Predictive Audiences added to Marketo Engage
Adobe adds Predictive Audiences to Marketo Engage. The personalization tool is geared for users who manage marketing messaging to live and online event attendees. Continue Reading
-
Tip
03 Aug 2020
Key strategies to build and monitor customer loyalty and trust
Businesses can't immediately expect trust from customers. It requires a lot of effort to build and eventually gain customer loyalty, especially during a pandemic. Continue Reading
-
Feature
29 Jul 2020
Combat event fatigue with a virtual event marketing strategy
Virtual events can be a great way to generate leads and improve customer retention -- but only when done right. Here are some ways that marketers can host a successful online event. Continue Reading
-
News
29 Jul 2020
Oracle CX head Rob Tarkoff: Acquisition integrations complete
The executive vice president of CX and Oracle Data Cloud discusses how acquired technologies have been fully integrated into Oracle's customer experience SaaS application stack. Continue Reading
-
Tip
29 Jul 2020
10 types of biases that affect customer data analysis
Analytics can help businesses make data-driven decisions, but common cognitive biases can skew how organizations interpret the information and CX. Continue Reading
-
Feature
28 Jul 2020
Simplify employee and customer experiences to adapt and grow
Ricardo Saltz Gulko breaks down how organizations can focus on improving employee and customer experience by simplifying complex processes. Continue Reading
-
Tip
27 Jul 2020
A look at contact center technology and support costs
With so many technology options available to contact centers, per-agent spending can vary greatly. It's up to businesses to figure out what technology matters most to them. Continue Reading
-
Feature
23 Jul 2020
Tech virtual conferences plagued by problems, boredom
Tech vendors staging virtual events during the pandemic have stumbled in trying to reproduce the in-person conference experience. Some have succeeded. Continue Reading
-
Feature
22 Jul 2020
How to create a great customer experience strategy in 6 steps
In today's business landscape, a powerful CX strategy is key to gaining customer loyalty and a competitive advantage. Here's how to deliver a great customer experience, plus a template. Continue Reading
-
News
21 Jul 2020
Microsoft releases voice of the customer platform
Microsoft takes on Qualtrics with Dynamics 365 Customer Voice, a customer experience feedback tool native to its platform for retailers and B2B users. Continue Reading
-
News
21 Jul 2020
Salesforce beefs up e-commerce order management features
Salesforce adds B2C-friendly order-management features to support internationalization of e-commerce, as well as pre-built integrations to channels such as Google and Instagram. Continue Reading
-
News
16 Jul 2020
Salesforce Pardot, Interaction Studio get feature boosts
Salesforce adds Einstein AI, as well as personalization and data visualization features from its acquisitions of Evergage, Datorama and Tableau, to Marketing Cloud. Continue Reading
-
Answer
16 Jul 2020
9 skills that call center agents need for success
Contact centers accommodate all channels of communication, which means hiring managers must train call center agents to keep up with customer demands. Continue Reading
-
News
14 Jul 2020
Broken Pega RPA bots can heal themselves with new AI feature
Pegasystems robotic process automation tools, popular in contact centers, add AI capabilities that allow some RPA bots to fix themselves. Continue Reading
-
Tip
10 Jul 2020
9 strategies for email marketing segmentation
There are a number of strategies businesses can use to segment email marketing lists, including geographic location, purchase history, abandoned carts and forms, and gender. Continue Reading
-
Feature
10 Jul 2020
Customer experience involves people, process and tools equally
Robert Azman breaks down why people, process and tools are all crucial for a successful customer experience strategy. Continue Reading
-
News
09 Jul 2020
CCPA regulation enforcement begins; Salesforce an early target
Users of marketing, sales and e-commerce clouds -- and vendors, too -- are vulnerable to legal action under the CCPA, as enforcement begins and civil suit plaintiffs cite the data privacy law. Continue Reading
-
Tip
08 Jul 2020
How to create customer profiles with examples
Creating customer profiles gives brands a deep understand of their customers' needs and behaviors and results in more successful marketing strategies. Here are steps to get started. Continue Reading
-
Feature
08 Jul 2020
Discover the leading CX management software vendors
Take a look at these in-depth roundups that detail the leading products that help companies manage their customer experience, as well as their notable features and buying options. Continue Reading
-
Answer
08 Jul 2020
What roles are essential on a content marketing team?
There are a number of people involved in business content marketing teams. Some of those roles include content managers, content strategists and content creators. Continue Reading
-
Tip
07 Jul 2020
7 benefits of customer experience management
There are many benefits of a customer experience management strategy, including a reduced customer churn rate, lower marketing costs and improved crisis management. Continue Reading
-
Tip
07 Jul 2020
How to gather and evaluate customer sentiment
Businesses can harvest customer sentiment from a variety of places, including social media, surveys, likes, comment cards, contact centers and word-of-mouth. Continue Reading
-
Tip
06 Jul 2020
8 CX challenges facing organizations and how to address them
There are many barriers to effective CX initiatives, but most revolve around communication on both the consumer and enterprise sides of the equation. Continue Reading
-
Answer
06 Jul 2020
CEM vs. CRM: Which platform is best for your business?
Businesses must be familiar with CEM and CRM if they want to improve customer experience. While these acronyms sound similar, they are different. Continue Reading
-
News
02 Jul 2020
Voice biometrics for CX detects customer age, fraud
As of now, Nuance voice age-detection features are for security teams that want to prevent fraud and to route service calls. Analyst sees potential for marketing personalization. Continue Reading
-
Tip
01 Jul 2020
How to comprehensively personalize the customer experience
A personalization strategy can increase brand loyalty and customer retention by providing relevant content to customers when they need it. Here's how to get started. Continue Reading
-
Tip
01 Jul 2020
7 key customer experience metrics to measure
Net Promoter Score is the most popular customer metric, but it's not the only one for CX teams to measure. Understand which metrics to track and how to calculate them. Continue Reading
-
Answer
01 Jul 2020
The role and responsibilities of a customer relationship manager
The customer relationship manager has a challenging and ever-evolving role to play when it comes to optimizing the customer experience. Continue Reading
-
News
30 Jun 2020
Zendesk CRM adds email automation features
The Zendesk Sell CRM platform adds email automation features for customer engagement as the pandemic cuts off sales rep users' access to in-person customer meetings. Continue Reading
-
Tip
29 Jun 2020
Here's how sales teams use AI to increase revenue
When a business incorporates AI into its sales processes, it may improve pricing optimization, contact analytics and forecasting, ultimately strengthening its sales department. Continue Reading
-
News
26 Jun 2020
Act-On now a growth marketing platform, launches upgrades
Act-On's product upgrades include a partnership with Zapier and enhancements to SMS and email messaging to customers, as well as new creation tools for edits on landing pages. Continue Reading
-
News
25 Jun 2020
Salesforce pushes forward with DNS security standard
A Salesforce-backed DNS security model to prevent downtime could become standard for multi-tenant cloud providers. Continue Reading
-
Feature
25 Jun 2020
As stores reopen, e-commerce is king in luxury retail
Brick-and-mortar stores are reopening, but that doesn't mean retailers should lessen focus on online experiences. Olivela, a luxury retail company, strategizes for beyond COVID-19. Continue Reading
-
News
25 Jun 2020
Salesforce collaboration gets mobile boost with new app
Salesforce integrates chat, text and video collaboration into a desktop interface and a new mobile app, Salesforce Anywhere. It tracks and logs conversations and transcribes videos. Continue Reading
-
Tip
23 Jun 2020
Why hyper-personalization is an essential marketing strategy
Using AI to personalize marketing strategies can be a business's golden ticket to improved customer experience. As a result, hyper-personalized marketing is essential. Continue Reading
-
News
23 Jun 2020
Salesforce Trailhead adds Einstein AI for learners
Salesforce's free training site, Trailhead, got AI features based on its products recommendation engine to guide admins, developers and consultants on personalized paths. Continue Reading
-
News
19 Jun 2020
SAP C/4HANA leads discuss future of CX platform
New leaders of SAP's customer experience platform discuss its future direction, with a retrospective look at how CRM's past evolved into customer-centric CX technology. Continue Reading
-
Tip
19 Jun 2020
10 ways to improve the customer experience today
Many organizations struggle with where and how to improve CX, as the focus shifts from CRM to customer experience. Here are 10 strategies to use for a successful journey. Continue Reading
-
Tip
17 Jun 2020
10 steps to create a voice of the customer program
One of the best initiatives a customer experience team can undertake is a voice of the customer program. Here are some guidelines for building one from scratch. Continue Reading
-
Tip
17 Jun 2020
How to create a customer journey map -- with template
Customer journey maps help CX teams delve into the data gathered during a customer's experience. They also help businesses to understand the failures and successes of sales. Continue Reading
-
News
17 Jun 2020
SAP C/4HANA users describe e-commerce pivots amid COVID-19
SAP's customer experience application suite still a priority after a year of senior leadership upheaval at the enterprise cloud vendor, thanks to the COVID-19 economy. Continue Reading
-
News
17 Jun 2020
Magento e-commerce content tools get Adobe AI boost
Adobe connects its Product Recommendations engine to Magento Page Builder to give users a no-code AI tool that offers different products to different customer segments. Continue Reading
-
Feature
11 Jun 2020
What IT leaders need to know about customer data platforms
Customer data platforms offer a lot, but many IT decision-makers remain skeptical -- there's still plenty of confusion over what they are. Find out what companies get with them. Continue Reading
-
News
09 Jun 2020
Pandemic e-commerce trends point to massive growth
The pandemic caused consumers and businesses to form new online buying habits; now e-commerce is booming. That trend will hold for a year, or maybe forever, experts said. Continue Reading
-
Feature
04 Jun 2020
10 ways to improve CX when developing virtual agents
Consider these 10 methods when building new virtual agents for your clients to help balance design, user experience, technical feasibility and business value. Continue Reading
-
News
02 Jun 2020
Pegasystems debuts Pega Process Fabric CX integration tools
Pegasystems makes a play to be a 'platform of platforms' with Pega Process Fabric, which orchestrates processes between applications in mixed-vendor CX tech stacks. Continue Reading
-
News
29 May 2020
Facebook Shops, Salesforce deliver quick e-commerce tools
During pandemic stay-at-home orders, Salesforce, Facebook and Instagram capitalize on the digital sales boom that resembles a three-month holiday surge that hasn't let up. Continue Reading
-
Tip
29 May 2020
4 tips for creating a content marketing SEO strategy
There are multiple components to a good SEO strategy, and it's important for businesses to stay plugged in and evolve with those strategies over time. Continue Reading
-
Tip
28 May 2020
How data from APM tools helps businesses improve CX
Businesses have many options when it comes to analyzing customer experiences. APM tools can help contact center leaders improve agent experience, as well as CX. Continue Reading
-
News
28 May 2020
Pega Academy goes free with Trailhead-like badges
On the eve of his company's user conference, Pegasystems CEO Alan Trefler discussed COVID-19, RPA tech, free Pega skills training and a new appreciation for old rival Salesforce. Continue Reading
-
Feature
27 May 2020
Brands focus on messaging, empathy in crisis marketing mode
There is no single way for businesses to approach marketing in a crisis, but no matter how they choose to address the situation, they must be sensitive to their customers. Continue Reading
-
Feature
27 May 2020
4 best practices for call center management
An effective contact center is a result of strong management and knowledgeable agents. Management teams must invest time and energy in training their employees properly. Continue Reading
-
Feature
26 May 2020
Preparing your customer experience strategies for the new normal
As companies prepare to reopen following the lengthy shutdown due to the pandemic, they need to learn how their customers feel and how best to adapt to serve them. Continue Reading
-
News
20 May 2020
RevOps strategy keeps B2B sales moving during pandemic
Revenue operations purports to orchestrate the technologies governing marketing and sales and measure their effectiveness. During the pandemic, the strategy is put to the test. Continue Reading
-
News
15 May 2020
Talkdesk adds virtual agents, rebrands CCaaS suite as CX Cloud
Talkdesk refocuses it CCaaS suite on customer experience by adding 20 features, including virtual agents and remote work features for contact center agents. Continue Reading
-
Feature
14 May 2020
Building customer relationships is central to loyalty
Raghu Kalé's book, Loyalty and Sacrifice, discusses what it means for businesses to build relationships and create true customer loyalty -- going beyond repeat sales. Continue Reading
-
News
14 May 2020
Adobe releases AI tools for sales, marketing and e-commerce
Adobe beefs up its AI tools for Experience Platform, including a customer intelligence tool and ones for leads, content matching, channel monitoring and customer journeys. Continue Reading
-
Tip
13 May 2020
6 key benefits of headless commerce
Traditional e-commerce changed how businesses could sell products, but with headless commerce, organizations can better personalize the customer experience. Continue Reading
-
News
12 May 2020
Salesforce coronavirus contact tracing platform goes national
Salesforce gets involved in state and local health authorities' coronavirus contact tracing efforts in New York City, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, California and Louisiana. Continue Reading
-
Tip
12 May 2020
How speech analytics can benefit call centers
Speech analytics software in call centers helps organizations pinpoint areas of weakness to address in an effort to improve customer experience and efficiency. Continue Reading
-
Tip
12 May 2020
4 ways CX is central to digital transformation in retail
Digital transformation initiatives in businesses can help drive sales, increase customer engagement and retention, and improve the customer experience. Continue Reading
-
News
08 May 2020
Pega adds unified messaging to customer case management
Pega Customer Service Unified Messaging Edition, built from last year's In The Chat acquisition, adds omnichannel messaging to the company's customer support cloud platform. Continue Reading
-
Feature
07 May 2020
Life and business post-COVID-19 for employees and companies
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how companies interact with both employees and customers. Karl Sharicz offers a look at what he sees from a CX perspective going forward. Continue Reading
-
News
07 May 2020
Salesforce Lightning App Builder adds low-code forms features
Salesforce Lighting App Builder will include oft-requested low-code features for building complex forms that previously required developer coding to create and update. Continue Reading
-
Feature
06 May 2020
Building a successful CX governance operating model
When developing a CX governance operating model, leaders should consider four key components: people, measurement framework, processes and tools and technologies. Continue Reading
-
News
05 May 2020
ServiceNow CSM navigates pandemic, partners with Adobe
ServiceNow connects its Customer Service Management environment to Adobe Experience Manager to improve support experience through deeper personalization. Continue Reading
-
News
04 May 2020
Customer service agents, chatbots dial up empathy in pandemic
AI virtual assistants can provide help for embattled customer service agents during the pandemic, but adapting them to changing customer needs and new business models isn't simple. Continue Reading
-
News
01 May 2020
Conversational AI to help with high demands in contact centers
Replicant and Nuance Communications have announced tools aimed at curbing the influx of calls during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has limited the number of customer service reps. Continue Reading
-
Feature
01 May 2020
3 key training areas for remote sales success
Remote work is easy for some departments, but sales teams may struggle without in-person interactions. Businesses should train sales reps to be successful while working from home. Continue Reading
-
Feature
01 May 2020
Email, social media marketing strategies adjust amid COVID-19
Businesses lean on email, social media marketing and softer brand messaging to keep customers engaged while the coronavirus keeps the world quarantined at home. Continue Reading
-
News
30 Apr 2020
Live conferences shift to virtual events, yield surprising results
Digital events can't replace live conference experiences, but organizers who quickly shifted to virtual event platforms report surprising benefits and expect to use them long-term. Continue Reading
-
Tip
27 Apr 2020
3 tips for adding e-commerce to an existing website
While many businesses realize the necessity for e-commerce functions on their websites, they should be sure to focus on the customer journey and maintaining consistent experiences. Continue Reading
-
News
24 Apr 2020
Martech budgets slashed, more layoffs loom amid COVID-19
The COVID-19 economy has hit marketing jobs hard. As spending for advertising and martech stall, layoffs mount and still-employed marketers fear the worst. Continue Reading
-
Feature
23 Apr 2020
Educate, empathize in social media strategy during coronavirus
Social media offers an opportunity to connect during a period of isolation, but brands should be careful when adjusting social media strategies. Here are some words of advice. Continue Reading
-
Tip
23 Apr 2020
How remote contact centers benefit businesses, employees
As businesses move to remote contact center models amid the COVID-19 crisis, they're finding benefits in the form of real estate cost savings and happier employees. Continue Reading
-
Tip
22 Apr 2020
5 email marketing trends to follow in 2020
When done right, email marketing can reach the right customers and be engaging. Organizations should keep email design simple and easy to read and enclose a unique call to action. Continue Reading