Features

Features

• In 2023, generative AI made inroads in customer service

  This year saw the rise of new intelligent capabilities for contact centers to support human and virtual agents in their abilities to deliver effective answers and services faster.  Continue Reading

• SAP's Mirakl integration improves B2B e-commerce experience

  Mirakl's platform lets B2B e-commerce companies create an online shopping experience that is more like B2C -- easier to configure, with a simpler interface for the end user.  Continue Reading

• Why is diversity important in marketing?

  Diversity marketing can help marketers improve personalization, connect with younger audiences and increase brand loyalty. However, inauthentic efforts can erode customer trust.  Continue Reading

• An overview of Microsoft Dynamics 365

  Dynamics 365 unites various CRM and ERP tools into one platform. CRM apps include Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service, and ERP tools include Finance and Commerce.  Continue Reading

• Customer success vs. sales: What's the difference?

  Customer success and sales teams both interact with clients, but customer success prevents churn whereas sales teams focus on loyalty and acquisition.  Continue Reading

• 5 email marketing challenges and their solutions

  Most organizations primarily use email to connect with customers. Yet, marketers often struggle with engagement due to spam filters and crowded inboxes.  Continue Reading

• 4 email A/B testing best practices

  A/B testing can help marketers improve email campaigns one variable at a time. Best practices include designing the right test, starting with the sender's name and using AI tools.  Continue Reading

• Social media marketing strategies: Cut cliches, add opinions

  Effective online engagement with customers starts with conversations that use feelings and opinions, rather than cliches and facts, to build lasting relationships.  Continue Reading

• Sales vs. account management: What's the difference?

  Sales and account management teams work together to increase revenue. However, these roles have different goals, responsibilities, skills and relationship timeframes.  Continue Reading

• How sales teams can use generative AI

  Sales teams can use generative AI to create personalized content, coach sales reps and improve forecasting. However, risks include data protection and a lack of empathy.  Continue Reading

• Genesys offers workforce management tool to measure EX

  A contact center management firm uses a Genesys tool that collects information about employees' experience to uncover organizational weaknesses and identify ways to improve.  Continue Reading

• Online forms tool offers custom designs and user insights

  Digital marketing agency SmartBug Media uses digital customer survey platform Typeform to create custom-designed, brand-appropriate questionnaires and collect user data insights.  Continue Reading

• Customer communications management key to CX success

  Companies of all sizes are using the latest tech such as generative AI, online store apps, and collaboration tools like video calling to improve CX for B2B and B2C businesses.  Continue Reading

• Banks aim to improve customer experience for users online

  Tactics to increase digital interactions include improving contact center tools, prioritizing UX design and merging digital capabilities with real-time human service.  Continue Reading

• What is account-based marketing? A guide to ABM strategy

  Companies increasingly use ABM to target high-value accounts and boost sales revenue. Here's the lowdown on the key terms and technologies, plus expert advice on getting started.  Continue Reading

• A guide to account-based engagement

  Account-based marketing strategies can unify marketing, sales and customer service objectives to prioritize, personalize and monetize engagements with high-value accounts.  Continue Reading

• How to use generative AI for marketing

  Organizations can use generative AI to write marketing content and analyze customer data quicker than a human. However, the tool requires basic prompt engineering skills.  Continue Reading

• Customer success vs. account management: How do they differ?

  Customer success and account management strategies help organizations grow in different ways. Customer success focuses on loyalty, while account management focuses on revenue.  Continue Reading

• 4 components of a customer obsession model

  Customer-obsessed organizations put customers at the heart of their operations. A customer obsession model requires important elements like a data strategy and leadership support.  Continue Reading

• How businesses improve customer experience with AI

  AI bolsters the consumer journey by improving personalization for enterprise marketing and unlocking data extraction for customer calls to the contact center.  Continue Reading

• How to use ChatGPT for customer service

  Customer service teams can use ChatGPT to automate tasks, generate responses to customer inquiries, summarize email threads and power human-like chatbots.  Continue Reading

• AI takes center stage in the future of contact centers

  Generative AI has disrupted the technology world, and contact center vendors are already looking to add it to products. Here's what AI in contact centers could mean for agents.  Continue Reading

• How account-based marketing can improve personalization

  An ABM strategy can help B2B marketers personalize marketing efforts for top prospects. An ABM strategy includes an ideal customer profile, personalized messaging and a CRM system.  Continue Reading

• Advice for marketing personalization

  Business professionals have become numb to the plethora of marketing emails they receive every day. However, personalized messaging can grab their attention.  Continue Reading

• How Gen Z will shape the future of customer experience

  The future of customer experience is in the hands of Gen Z -- and new technologies, like generative AI and XaaS. These trends will affect consumer and enterprise markets alike.  Continue Reading

• Customer success vs. customer support: What's the difference?

  Customer support and customer success sound similar, but they're distinct business practices. Differences include approach, metrics, maturity and skills.  Continue Reading

• 15 customer service email templates and tips

  Email remains an important channel for companies to communicate with customers. Here are some email templates for customer service teams to use in common scenarios.  Continue Reading

• Why is sustainable marketing important?

  On a grand scale, sustainable marketing brings awareness to environmental and social issues. On a business level, this practice can improve brand loyalty and worker engagement.  Continue Reading

• How do green marketing and sustainable marketing differ?

  Many organizations use green and sustainable marketing to build trust with consumers. Green marketing focuses on the environment, whereas sustainable marketing is broader.  Continue Reading

• Compare the top 13 CDP software products in 2023

  CDPs, which vendors may sell as standalone products or as subsets of CRM systems, help organizations build detailed customer profiles. Top CDPs include Emarsys and Oracle Unity CDP.  Continue Reading

• Ultimate guide to customer service for businesses

  Good customer service can make or break a business -- which is why it's more important than ever to understand customer service and develop a strategy to implement it.  Continue Reading

• Digital marketing tips for growth amid economic uncertainty

  Budgets are down, social media is unreliable, the economy is rough. That could make first-party data, loyalty programs and streaming video better marketing investments.  Continue Reading

• 4 benefits of a customer data platform

  CDPs organize customer data to support personalized CX strategies and compliance. Benefits of CDPs include unified customer profiles and enhanced marketing efforts.  Continue Reading

• How to efficiently measure customer loyalty

  Most organizations don't measure customer loyalty often or thoroughly enough to improve CX. This book excerpt explores tips and suggestions to measure loyalty more efficiently.  Continue Reading

• 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

• What's the difference between WFM and WFO?

  WFM and WFO systems can automate employee schedules. However, WFO platforms include contact center features, such as call recording, to improve agent performance.  Continue Reading

• B2B vs. B2C e-commerce: What's the difference?

  B2B e-commerce websites offer many ways to reach agents, whereas B2C sites prioritize self-service. E-commerce leaders must build their websites to meet their customers' needs.  Continue Reading

• Top 4 CRM systems comparison

  What differentiates the 'big four' CRM providers? Explore the advantages and disadvantages of Salesforce, Oracle, Microsoft and SAP in this CRM comparison.  Continue Reading

• Top 5 trends for the future of marketing

  Text messaging, hybrid experiences and Web3 may play key roles in the future of marketing. Learn how to fit these trends into marketing strategies moving forward.  Continue Reading

• Customer loyalty vs. brand loyalty: What's the difference?

  Low prices can generate customer loyalty, whereas reliability and reputation foster brand loyalty. To maximize customer retention, organizations should strive for both.  Continue Reading

• AI chatbots don't need to be sentient, they just need to work

  Chatbot users, vendors and ex-Google engineer Blake Lemoine discuss what is needed to make current chatbot tech more effective for customer service organizations.  Continue Reading

• 4 real-world examples of zero-party data

  With zero-party data directly from consumers, marketing teams get better data to help retain customers and improve CX. These real-world examples highlight how this data works.  Continue Reading

• The link between employee experience and customer experience

  A customer's experience with an organization is only as good as an employee's experience. Business leaders should know that empathy is key to employee and customer success.  Continue Reading

• What is Adobe Experience Cloud? CRM platform overview

  Adobe Experience Cloud -- the vendor's CRM platform -- includes tools to help medium and large enterprises manage all facets of their customer engagement strategies.  Continue Reading

• Why you need a total experience strategy to drive CX and EX

  More companies are using a 'total experience' approach to win customers and support employees in the post-pandemic economy. But they won't find a single platform that does it all.  Continue Reading

• UCaaS vs. CCaaS: What's the difference?

  UCaaS and CCaaS feature overlapping communication channels, such as cloud calling and messaging, but CCaaS comes with additional tools that can support a contact center.  Continue Reading

• Call center vs. contact center: What's the difference?

  Call centers and contact centers provide customer service in different ways. Decision-makers should understand which option best fits their organization's needs to optimize CX.  Continue Reading

• Why marketing personalization has yet to pay off

  Forrester analyst discusses why personalization investments aren't paying off, what marketers can expect in 2022 in technology -- and in the job market.  Continue Reading

• How bad writing, templates and chatbots kill customer service

  Leslie O'Flahavan, a writing coach specializing in contact center communications, discusses how humans, AI and bots can work together to provide good customer service.  Continue Reading

• Top customer service certifications and courses

  Here are some customer services courses to help frontline employees provide customers with a better experience.  Continue Reading

• 5 examples of bad customer service and how to avoid them

  Having a plan in place to handle, or hopefully avoid, bad customer service encounters is crucial to driving customer loyalty and retention.  Continue Reading

• 8 tips to build and manage a customer service team

  While customer service has its challenges, managers can build, run and maintain great customer service teams with good communication, up-to-date training and shared goals.  Continue Reading

• 10 customer service best practices to follow

  As customer service evolves into a multidimensional force, agent training and experience, performance analysis, virtual assistance, customer sentiment and net promoter scores rule.  Continue Reading

• 10 examples of AI in customer service

  AI and AI-enhanced tools drive efficiency and cost reduction throughout the customer service team.  Continue Reading

• 13 customer retention strategies that work

  As the cost of acquiring new customers exceeds the cost of retaining existing customers, implementing an effective customer retention strategy should be a top priority.  Continue Reading

• What are the different types of contact centers?

  Choosing the right type of contact center depends on understanding the options available and the needs of the organization.  Continue Reading

• 15 customer service skills and how to develop them

  Some customer service skills include problem-solving, empathy, product knowledge and patience.  Continue Reading

• The future of customer service: 12 trends to watch

  Advanced technologies continue to shape customer service goals to streamline digital workflows, increase positive experiences, lower agent turnover and improve contact center ROI.  Continue Reading

• 6 ways to build customer loyalty for your business

  Creating and implementing an effective customer loyalty strategy involves communicating and understanding customers' needs.  Continue Reading

• 8 customer service challenges and how to resolve them

  The most important skill for a customer service agent to learn is empathy. That, plus a well-crafted customer service plan, can solve nearly any problem that arises.  Continue Reading

• Cisco customer experience manager: What makes good tech CX

  Cisco users buy its hardware and apps through partners, mostly. Cisco's customer experience architect discusses how the company forges customer relationships.  Continue Reading

• 9 steps to create a customer service plan

  Crafting a customer service plan is a key step to improving customer satisfaction and building loyalty for an organization.  Continue Reading

• Augmented reality emerges in customer experience tech

  For customer experience, augmented reality is more common than virtual reality. Marketing and field service are the early adopters of AR, with sales and e-commerce trailing.  Continue Reading

• The 3 types of chatbots for beginners and how to build them

  Various types of chatbots exist, but three types, in particular, are easiest for beginners to learn and build independently. Find out more in this chapter excerpt.  Continue Reading

• Beginner's guide to essential chatbot best practices

  In this Q&A, author Andrew Freed lays out key chatbot best practices for beginners, the biggest challenges and how organizations can tell when to adopt chatbot technology.  Continue Reading

• What does a customer service manager do?

  Customer service managers are an integral part of contact centers. They are the team leader, trainer and policy maker.  Continue Reading

• Brands opt for headless e-commerce vs. traditional commerce

  For large enterprises, headless commerce breaks down websites into user-friendly modules marketers can update. SMBs can also use it, paired with WordPress and other simple tools.  Continue Reading

• Post-pandemic digital customer experience: What will change?

  Overstock.com, FTD and Giant Eagle all revamped their CX tech stacks during the pandemic to meet the demand for online service, and upgrades continue.  Continue Reading

• ServiceNow's vision for AI, customer service management

  ServiceNow's John Ball discusses the Now Platform's approach to AI, customer service and field service management, and why he left Salesforce as EVP of product for Einstein.  Continue Reading

• 7 benefits of a personalized marketing content strategy

  Customers want companies to treat them as individuals, and personalized marketing can help accomplish that. Personalization can also improve customer retention and brand affinity.  Continue Reading

• Apple iOS 14.5 App Tracking Transparency rewires martech

  If your business strategy fully relied on iOS tracking for survival, your company was probably in trouble before 14.5 came out this week, marketing experts say.  Continue Reading

• How post-pandemic B2B e-commerce tech stacks will look

  What will B2B e-commerce look like in the post-pandemic world? Experts and tech leaders share how COVID-19 fueled big changes and what's next.  Continue Reading

• Email marketing tools sustain old channel with personalization

  Email is so 1990s. Yet as a marketing communications channel, it thrives into the 2020s with an assist from personalization technology and customer data platforms.  Continue Reading

• The 7 most effective ways to connect with customers

  Businesses need to prioritize building a connection with customers. By doing so, companies get to know their customers on a personal level and can better serve their needs.  Continue Reading

• How to create a customer satisfaction survey

  Businesses need to have a plan in place before sending out customer satisfaction surveys. Acting on customer feedback is just as important as collecting it.  Continue Reading

• The psychology of UX design: How design affects CX

  In her book, '100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, 2nd Edition,' Susan Weinschenk explains how UX design relies on psychology to improve customer experiences.  Continue Reading

• Customer data platforms dominate CX technology headlines

  As the tech titans release their CDPs, it raises a question: Can this technology save itself from becoming another data silo in the marketing stack?  Continue Reading

• Advanced upselling tactics, technologies expand bottom line

  Upselling technologies that segment customers, predict buying habits, analyze emotions and target campaigns arm companies with the weapons to tap new revenue streams.  Continue Reading

• 10 Dreamforce to You 2020 sessions for sales managers

  DreamTX -- part of the Dreamforce to You 2020 lineup -- will offer a variety of relevant sessions for attending sales managers. Here's a peek at 10 of those sessions.  Continue Reading

• Why customer-centric design is crucial for CX

  In her book, '100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People,' Susan Weinschenk talks about why it is important for companies to know their audience to better design for them.  Continue Reading

• Standalone customer data platforms weather big competition

  Standalone CDP vendors got a years-long head start on Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP and Adobe. They stand firm in a year when online channels stayed open during the pandemic.  Continue Reading

• 5 ideas for a post-cookies marketing strategy in 2023

  Tracking customers without third-party cookies may worry businesses; however, all organizations are in the same position. Companies should consider these alternatives.  Continue Reading

• Customer data platform tools push personalization, privacy

  Evolving CDPs help companies unify the flood of consumer data collected from disparate sources, resulting in better customer insights and compliance with privacy regulations.  Continue Reading

• How listening to the voice of the customer benefits businesses

  Karen Mangia's book, 'Listen Up! How to Tune In to Customers and Turn Down the Noise' talks about the importance of listening to the voice of the customer in the business world.  Continue Reading

• 7 ways to avoid remote work burnout in call centers

  Many factors contribute to remote work burnout, including juggling too many tasks, isolation and a work-life balance. Here are some tips for managers to help minimize burnout.  Continue Reading

• How to write a marketing email: 10 tips

  There are a number of components that make up a compelling marketing email, including content readers want, photos and videos, calls to action and mobile optimization.  Continue Reading

• Why social media is key to collecting customer feedback

  Social media offers companies a way to hear opinions about their products, as well to interact with customers to improve CX. Businesses must know how to gather and use feedback.  Continue Reading

• A breakdown of inbound marketing vs. demand generation

  Inbound marketing and demand generation are easy to confuse, but they are different. While inbound marketing is marketing-centric, demand generation tends to be more sales-centric.  Continue Reading

• Call center customer experience ROI is more about metrics

  When measuring contact center ROI, don't get caught up in dollar signs. Focus on CX metrics, including the length of customer calls, wait times and net promoter scores.  Continue Reading

• 2 Customer Workflows: Drive Customer Loyalty with Connected Digital Workflows

  When the unexpected happens, customers want to know they can depend on you to hear them and meet their needs.  Continue Reading

• 6 customer retention best practices for businesses to heed

  Customer retention is essential to an organization's success, so it's important to keep customers educated, engaged and feeling as though they're part of the business family.  Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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