Customer service and contact center
Customer service refers to the support organizations give customers after a purchase, and contact centers are the points where organizations can manage these interactions. Keep tabs on the evolution of customer service and contact center technologies and best practices to maintain service strategies properly.
Top Stories
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Tip
18 Apr 2024
Will AI replace customer service reps?
AI can streamline customer interactions and save organizations money, but will it replace customer service agents? Maybe, but customer service will always require a human touch. Continue Reading
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News
16 Apr 2024
Zendesk users get generative AI infusion for customer service
Zendesk customers get their shot of GenAI, which comes in the form of agent tools, self-service workflow assistants and workforce management features. Continue Reading
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News
16 Sep 2019
Nectar launches Customer Experience Assurance platform
The new product includes features like auto-discovery and real-time alerting intended to enable contact center teams to test and discover network issues in a timely manner. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Sep 2019
Upselling customers adds ROI gold to contact center channels
AI, analytics and customer service technologies can predict behavior and secure brand loyalty, but generating impulse buys adds a new ROI wrinkle to the evolving contact center. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Sep 2019
The difference between autodialers and predictive dialers
Some people don't know that a predictive dialer is a type of autodialer. There are, in fact, five broad categories of autodialers contact centers need to know about. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Aug 2019
8 live chat best practices for organizations to consider
Organizations find that live chat can be a means to improve customer experience -- when implemented correctly. Here are some best practices to put into action. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Aug 2019
SAP CX tools evolve in the face of data privacy, AI
'Experience data' from Qualtrics will help SAP boost its customer experience offerings. The company is also considering how AI can help and where privacy concerns fit into the CX landscape. Continue Reading
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News
19 Aug 2019
LivePerson Inc. adds new capabilities to Maven AI
Maven AI's updates are aimed at enabling new conversational commerce use cases. The new capabilities include Maven Assist, Maven AI-Powered Routing and Maven Developer APIs. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Aug 2019
10 things to know about Google Cloud Contact Center AI
Google has partnered with more than 90 different companies to roll out its contact center AI. This article lists 10 important things you need to know about the program. Continue Reading
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News
12 Aug 2019
Conversica AI platform receives upgrades for productivity
Conversica's AI platform, Conversica AVA.ai, received upgrades that are intended to personalize communication with customers and improve productivity. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2019
Planned $1.35B Salesforce ClickSoftware buy beefs up field service
Salesforce's ClickSoftware acquisition is aimed at improving Salesforce's field service management offering against SAP and Oracle. Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2019
Twilio Conversations, SendGrid Ads broaden cloud CX platform
Twilio extends its customer communications platform to support MMS, SMS and WhatsApp chat, as well as to support ad campaigns for Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2019
CX product changes on tap at Salesforce, LogMeIn, Adobe
CX products to watch for the rest of 2019: Adobe's planned CDP offering, Salesforce features from the Tableau acquisition and LogMeIn's AI-powered agent-assist tools. Continue Reading
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Guide
25 Jul 2019
Customer service technologies revolutionize CX engagements
This Essential Guide examines the strategic and multidimensional role customer service and its technologies now play in personalized customer experiences over multiple channels. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jul 2019
Customer service vs. customer experience: What's the difference?
Customer service is an age-old concept, but where does it fit into the customer experience? Here's how the two are different and where they intersect. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Jul 2019
Customers stay connected with Talkdesk 100% uptime SLA
Talkdesk customer Cognosante sees 50% cost savings after switching to the vendor's contact center software and, so far, has seen no interruptions in service. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jul 2019
3 call routing methods to consider in your contact center
Contact center call routing methods include next-available agent, skill-based and predictive; however, each strategy has pros and cons. Learn what is best for your business. Continue Reading
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News
15 Jul 2019
TechSee Smart uses AI vision to aid contact center support
TechSee Smart aids live agents in contact centers by using AI and deep learning to analyze customer product images, identify issues and guide customers through the resolution process. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Jul 2019
Contact center AI: Agents may be training their replacements
The goal for software developers training sophisticated agent-assist AI tools for contact center software platforms could be 'superbots' far smarter than today's chatbots. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Jul 2019
Autonomous, self-service technology can't replace human touch
Self-service and autonomous technology can be found in any number of businesses, including hospitals, restaurants and retail -- but they are not a substitute for human interaction. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jun 2019
Verizon CX boss: Bots slash costs, but humans build brand loyalty
CX automation can build speed and process efficiency. But, a Verizon consumer survey reveals, brands that continue staffing call centers with humans build better relationships. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jun 2019
8x8 Contact Center launches as a stand-alone CCaaS offering
8x8 Contact Center is a stand-alone, cloud-based contact-center-as-a-service offering, aimed at organizations that feel restricted by legacy contact center infrastructure. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jun 2019
New upgrades added to Ujet customer service platform
Ujet has added a handful of new features, such as workforce management, quality management and CRM to its Customer Support Platform. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2019
The evolution of call centers to experience centers
The call center has evolved over the years, moving from phone-based systems to multichannel contact centers. The next move is toward a customer experience center. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jun 2019
Best practices for creating chatbot scripts
The rules of good chatbot scripting are similar to those of application coding. Here are some best practices to creating a chatbot that users will approve. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2019
Ada looks to improve chatbot handoff with AI-powered Ada Glass
To improve chatbot customer experience, Ada introduced Glass to its platform. Ada Glass connects customers with live agents directly within Ada's interface, according to the vendor. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2019
Assist acquisition advances Conversocial chatbot service
Conversocial had rudimentary chatbots before acquiring Assist earlier this year, but now can deploy chatbots to take on more sophisticated customer engagements. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2019
Helpshift launches omnichannel communication platform
Connected Customer Conversations is an omnichannel communication platform where a customer's information follows them from channel to channel for customer support. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2019
CoreMedia launches omnichannel content creation platform
CoreMedia Content Cloud-Marketing Connector enables omnichannel content creation. It also gives customers access to CoreMedia Content Cloud content management capabilities. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2019
Zendesk Duet ties sales, service platforms together
Zendesk courts enterprise customers with a chatbot SDK that extends self-service tech into internationally popular chat apps, while Duet bundles Zendesk Support and Sell platforms. Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2019
Companies entrust CX to customer service chatbots, but only so far
Depending on the vertical, chatbots can relieve human agents of simple, repetitive customer-support tasks. But brands await smarter tech to fully trust them with CX. Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2019
Pega Customer Service adds digital messaging capabilities
Pegasystems users can now offer their customers support through text messaging and will be able to develop apps more easily with a new low-code platform. Continue Reading
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Feature
29 May 2019
Contact center-as-a-service platforms here, but face hurdles
Cloud contact center platforms offer promise, migrating agents into a flexible environment. Contact centers, a long-established on-premises IT world, are slowly starting to adopt them. Continue Reading
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Podcast
21 May 2019
Replacing contact center platforms poses big dilemma
CX expert Scott Sachs discusses the various dilemmas posed by migrating legacy on-premises contact center platforms to the cloud. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 May 2019
Cattlemen group uses Google AI to build a chatbot
Wondering 'where's the beef?' Ask Chuck, a chatbot created by the National Cattlemen's Beef Association -- one of hundreds of bots being deployed thanks to AI tools. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2019
Sparkcentral virtual agent framework blends AI, live agents
Bring Your Own Bot, Sparkcentral's virtual agent framework for chatbots, blends live agent and virtual agent assistance to augment the customer experience. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 May 2019
6 live chat benefits to consider in a CX strategy
Live chat enables customers to solve problems quickly and agents to multitask, but it also can be difficult to implement well and requires synchronous communication. Continue Reading
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News
14 May 2019
CX initiatives driving contact center technology trends
Making contact center agents more present across all channels is a new focus, as tech vendors rush to give customer service operations more tools to improve customer experiences. Continue Reading
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News
06 May 2019
ICMI co-founder on contact center technology trends
Contact center technology stacks now include pervasive AI and CX-oriented tools, enabling agents to do a better job more efficiently, said ICMI co-founder Brad Cleveland. Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2019
Google launches CallJoy small-business phone service
Google has launched CallJoy, a new cloud-based phone service that provides small businesses with automated phone agents for customer service for $39 per month. Continue Reading
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News
11 Apr 2019
Google Cloud for Retail debuts, Contact Center AI makes inroads
Google takes on cloud competitors by making an AI-rich home for online and bricks retailers with new suite. Also: Google Call Center AI extends to Genesys, Avaya, Salesforce, more. Continue Reading
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Answer
04 Apr 2019
How do you determine the right point for chatbot-human handoff?
Customer experience can be adversely affected when chatbots don't transfer the call to a live agent at the right time. Here are some guidelines and best practices for initiating that handoff. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Apr 2019
Gaming company boosts call center employee engagement
Gaming company Electronic Arts boosts customer experience by using a design thinking strategy to improve the employee experience in call centers. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Mar 2019
AAA discovers benefits of Salesforce Service Cloud software
Using Salesforce Live Agent and Salesforce Service Cloud, AAA Carolinas increased member engagement by 330% and reduced service response time by 54%. Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2019
SurveyMonkey acquisition of Usabilla adds website feedback
SurveyMonkey, by adding website and app feedback capabilities from Usabilla to its survey software platform, now has a more robust offering for enterprise customers. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2019
Liferay digital experience platform helps company improve CX
Jack Maina, group chief operations officer of Britam, talks about how the financial services group rebuilt the way it interacts with customers and partners using Liferay. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Feb 2019
Customer success tools pave the way for business advancement
Quick Base launched an online university with the help of Skilljar to offer ongoing training, improving CX and increasing the likelihood of customer retention and loyalty. Continue Reading
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News
11 Feb 2019
Verint acquisition of ForeSee gives VOC software an upgrade
By combining Verint and ForeSee, users can capture customer interactions through SMS and customer surveys, as well as through online traffic and digital channels. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Jan 2019
Is dialer technology relevant to CX projects?
Live chat is still the preferred method of communication in contact centers, and the use of autodialers helps free up salespeople to speak with callers. Continue Reading
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Feature
21 Jan 2019
AMAC prioritizes first call resolution for a better CX
AMAC uses TetraVX unified communications and the cloud contact center platform Five9 in its three call centers to improve agent workflow, as well as member experience. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Jan 2019
CRM for government, Salesforce improve D.C.'s 311 agency
The Office of Unified Communications in Washington, D.C., said it improved its constituent relationships with Salesforce Service Cloud and Einstein Analytics. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Jan 2019
Call center tips to ensure successful agents
Once hiring managers find the right people for the job, contact center agents need both proper training and office tools to be successful in their roles. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Dec 2018
Salesforce Service Cloud Einstein AI's Next Best Action, Bots
Salesforce closes the distance between its cloud Einstein AI and IBM's Watson with flashy new features, as Service Cloud bows a no-code bot builder and a next best action tool. Continue Reading
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Answer
17 Dec 2018
How does Salesforce Einstein Bot differ from other AI?
Salesforce's no-code bot authoring tool competes with Google, Amazon and Microsoft, but differentiating capabilities make it potentially more useful for the Salesforce user base. Continue Reading
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Opinion
11 Dec 2018
Einstein Bot, Einstein Voice create new Salesforce channels
Born to compete with IBM's Watson, the Einstein cloud AI is in its third year of life and is exhibiting all the traits of a typical 3-year-old. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Dec 2018
5 tips for picking a call center customer experience platform
Change comes to customer contact centers as cloud systems and the customer experience movement force IT leaders to rethink software stacks. Here's advice for choosing your next platform. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Dec 2018
3 call center improvement strategies that boost efficiency
Call center agents must multitask like never before in this era of omnichannel service. How to increase efficiency with tech while relieving some of the load on the people. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Dec 2018
Customer service AI tools can improve contact center
By adding AI to its Salesforce Service Cloud integration, Nokia is trying to bring a proactive approach to customer service, while adding AI to workflow. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Nov 2018
Customer support automation for B2B requires human touch
Robert Johnson of TeamSupport and Sandy Crowley of ICANotes offer tips on how B2B companies can use automation to supplement human customer support services. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2018
Salesforce Einstein Voice, Customer 360 data sharing on deck
Salesforce users to benefit from new and extended partnerships with Apple, AWS and IBM, the upcoming Customer 360 integration tool and Einstein Voice. Continue Reading
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News
10 Aug 2018
Microsoft Dynamics 365 updates add AI features to CRM
Microsoft has introduced new updates to its Dynamics 365 CRM platform, including AI-driven business intelligence tools for sales, marketing and service. Continue Reading
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News
07 Aug 2018
InsightSquared unveils marketing analytics tools
At Ramp 2018, marketing technology vendor InsightSquared unveiled new software modules for gauging the effectiveness of marketing and sales efforts. Continue Reading
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News
03 Aug 2018
Google Contact Center AI makes early inroads in industry
Prospective users are already interested in Google's recently unveiled Contact Center AI system, and Google partners are avidly trying to sell it. But some in industry urge caution Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Jun 2018
Separating customer service chatbot hype from reality
Vendors claim consumers want self-service chatbots. Turns out they'd rather scrub toilets or go to the dentist than converse with customer service in general, bots included. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Jun 2018
Designing chatbots with personality-plus and gift of gab
Planning, patience, trial and error and a business-minded team approach are the keystones to developing chatbots with human-like qualities that seamlessly assist customers. Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2018
Call center chatbots draw skepticism from leaders
Call centers must live up to demanding quality and performance standards. Until artificial intelligence chatbots can meet those expectations, they don't stand a chance. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 May 2018
Albuquerque Amazon Alexa skill takes heat off call center
Tens of thousands of Alexa skills -- voice-activated apps -- exist, with more to come. Learn how a city government's call center created one to help residents. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 May 2018
GDPR call center compliance can be a sticky wicket
GDPR compliance for call centers can be complex and require the collaboration of business execs, call center managers and outside lawyers to establish data protection policies. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 May 2018
Check off those GDPR call center requirements
With GDPR about to go into full force, there are last-minute details and loose ends to tie up to ensure that your call center complies with the necessary regulations. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 May 2018
Don't forget agent training in your GDPR call center plan
The General Data Protection Regulation will affect call center agents. A GDPR plan for call center agent training should cover the expanded definition of PII and more. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 May 2018
GDPR customer data compliance for service and support teams
Getting your Salesforce-powered customer service and support staff ready for GDPR involves more than just the free Trailhead training module. But it's a start. Continue Reading
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News
19 Apr 2018
Salesforce Field Service Lightning gets appointment, scheduling upgrades
While the new Field Service Lightning features will help Salesforce users connect customers to their service needs, it lacks any of that Einstein touch of other Salesforce products. Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2018
Why improving social media customer service is important
By having a social media strategy in place, companies can quickly respond to customers' concerns through social media. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Feb 2018
Helpshift offers five Salesforce GDPR tips for customer support
How much does the service and support team affect GDPR privacy mandates? Turns out, more than a little. A chat app developer's compliance journey uncovers some compliance tips. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Feb 2018
Colorado modernizes with Salesforce for government projects
Colorado licenses Service Cloud and other Salesforce technologies to improve its citizens benefit program. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Feb 2018
AI chatbots augment humans working in contact centers
It might seem like contact centers are all being automated by AI chatbots, but for now, the jobs of human agents are still safe while all the kinks are worked out. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Jan 2018
Ten tips for implementing virtual agent chatbots
Think you're ready to turn over some of your customer service responsibilities to virtual agents? An expert offers 10 tips for implementing chatbots. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Oct 2017
How to calculate abandoned call rate for a contact center
Experts offer an abandoned call formula and advice on what to include when calculating call abandonment rates. Continue Reading
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News
02 Nov 2016
Election Protection helps voters with call center technology
Election Protection handles upward of 100,000 calls per day as Election Day nears, routing calls from high-call-volume states using Genesys. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Oct 2016
Salesforce AI touts intelligence for everyone
Salesforce AI has come to the fore with Einstein, its intelligence application. The CRM provider attempts to round out its portfolio with this accessible AI addition. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jul 2016
Four features of contact center evolution
Contact center evolution is explored through four key features, identifying how contact centers have changed through the past, present and future. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Mar 2016
Salesforce Service Console
The Salesforce Service Console is the centralized interface in the Salesforce Service Cloud with which agents can view all relevant customer information related to a case, as well as their call queue and more. Continue Reading
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News
08 Feb 2016
Omnichannel customer service is no small feat
Seamless, efficient customer service is the elusive goal of omnichannel. Salesforce expects to deliver it using IoT to give contact centers 'spooky intelligent' systems. Continue Reading
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Answer
04 May 2015
Have customer-centric processes arrived in the contact center?
It's been a long journey, but are companies finally ready to incorporate customer-centric processes into their contact center operations? Continue Reading
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Quiz
05 Jun 2013
Call center operations quiz
Call center operations are working hard to keep up with the technology revolution. Find out why the call center is not just for telephones anymore. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Mar 2011
Workforce management (WFM) software
Workforce management (WFM) software is an umbrella term for desktop and mobile programs that help a business manage staff scheduling. The term originated in contact centers and other service businesses that employ a large number of workers who are paid on an hourly basis. Continue Reading
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Answer
07 Dec 2009
Which call center billing model should I use?
What’s the best call center billing model measurement – charging for calls per month or per call? Expert Donna Fluss explains the methods behind both and how to best apply them in the contact center. Continue Reading
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Answer
17 Sep 2009
How can I measure call center agents' unavailable and "not ready" time?
Find out how to measure call center agents' unavailable and not ready time in this expert tip and get a formula for calculating unavailable time in your call center. Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Jul 2009
workforce optimization (WFO) software
Workforce optimization (WFO) software is a program suite that combines recording, quality management (QM) and other call center technologies into one console with the purpose of optimizing call center performance. Continue Reading
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Report
03 Jun 2009
Five call center sales tips and techniques
In difficult economic times, ramping up sales in the call center can provide another outlet to help companies meet sales quotas and drive sales effectiveness. We've gathered these five tips for companies looking to improve call center sales and train call center agents to become effective sales professionals. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Feb 2009
Does hot seating in the call center affect agent morale?
Learn about hot seating in the call center and find out how it can have a positive and negative impact on agent morale and productivity in this expert tip. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Sep 2008
Pros and cons of auto-response software in the call center
Auto-response software often gets mixed reviews from both call center professionals and customers. Learn the pros and cons of using auto-answer and auto-response software in the call center from expert Donna Fluss. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 May 2008
Call center rules and regulations: Why are they so strict?
Learn the purpose of call center rules and regulations in this tip from Donna Fluss, including how and why call center managers control the number of scheduled agents according to the forecasted call volume, using workforce management (WFM) applications. Continue Reading
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Quiz
18 Mar 2008
Call center metrics quiz answers
With answers from the Call Center Metrics School quiz, learn about call center metrics like average handle time, occupancy and schedule adherence. Continue Reading
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Answer
08 Jan 2008
Call monitoring best practices: Is there any industry standard?
Learn the best approach to monitoring call center agent's calls with expert Lori Bocklund. Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2007
Call center centralization vs. decentralization analytic framework
Call center centralization can be cost-effective for centers of a certain size. In her latest column, Donna Fluss outlines a framework for call center managers who are considering call center consolidation. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Sep 2007
Call center scheduling: How to manage Auxiliary or unavailable time
Expert Lori Bocklund advises a reader on managing a call center agent's Auxiliary or unavailable time. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Jul 2007
How to evaluate call center quality analyst performance
Expert Donna Fluss provides some guidelines for evaluating the performance of a call center's quality coach, and offers suggestions on training a quality coach. Continue Reading
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Quiz
28 Jun 2007
Call center interactive voice response (IVR) system quiz
Call center interactive voice response (IVR) systems continue to expand their functionality. Find out how much you know about today's IVR technology with this quiz. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Jan 2007
How do you define flow out calls?
Call center expert Lori Bocklund answers a reader who's using Avaya reports and is wondering about flow out calls, and whether they are the sum of abandoned and blocked calls. Continue Reading