6 Tips to Help Reimagine the Customer Support Experience for Your Audience

A couple weeks ago we mentioned the ongoing trend multiple companies are following of 'reimagining' products and services. While the product is an important component to the customer experience, it is not the only component that needs attention. Think about brand names such as Disney, Apple, Sony, and Amazon. When you hear these names you don't just think about their products...you typically associate them with exceptional customer service. To achieve global success, your customer service and customer support need to match this product evolution. 

Here are 6 tips to help 'reimagine' the customer support experience:     

Photo Source: wearesocial.sg

• Embrace Social Media - Social media is not a new concept, but the necessity for companies to connect with their audience through these channels (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc.) is now a must. In a survey, "42% of consumers complaining in social media expect 60 minute response times," and "24% expect a reply within 30 minutes, regardless of when the contact was made." (Convince & Convert) Support vendors are making this transition easier with interactive technology that can be deployed directly on their social channels. 

• Leverage the Internet of Everything (IoE) - As we've heard previously, the number of connected devices is expected to reach 50 billion by the year 2020. Thanks to the IoE "companies are starting to use support automation to preemptively diagnose and fix issues with minimal human intervention." (Forrester) "The real value in IoT [IoE] is not just connecting devices to their users, but to deliver an integrated management platform, driven by big data to centralize customer service." (CSMWire)
• Clear Website Design - People typically visit a company website first when looking for support. It is crucial to have a clear, flowing website layout for customers to easily find the information they need.  
• Understand Customer Wants/Needs - The Voice of the Customer (VOC) is powerful data to incorporate into the development of any company. Leading brands have implemented self-service marketing tools that collect metrics/qualitative insight directly from the customers themselves. In one particular case, using an empty Virtual Agent (EZIntel), a leader in computer hardware manufacturing was able to use the knowledge they gained from their customers to make adjustments to their web design to better fit their audience. Learn more about collecting actionable customer intelligence here: http://www.nohold.com/assets/ezintel_brochure-(1).pdf

Photo Credit: ideastogo.com

• Improve Self-Service Technology - "In a survey Forrester recently found that web self service was the most widely used communication channel for customer service, surpassing use of the voice channel for the first time." (Forbes) It is not just enough to have sub par self-service options though. Customers are demanding a more interactive, personalized way for self-service interactions to flow.  
• Single Point of Search - Providing customers with the convenience of having one place to search and find answers to their problems. For example, users can ask a question in the text field, and solutions will come up from multiple knowledge sources. (i.e. internal knowledge base, Google, CRM systems, etc.) Click the infographic below for an enlarged visual representation of this concept.                                            

Please share in the comments below some of the ways your company is 'reimagining' the support ecosystem. For more information on any of the tips mentioned above, please contact noHold.

Virtual Customer Assistants and Self-Service Used to Enhance CRM Platforms

Photo Credit: vocalcom.com

Last week, ComputerWorld published an article on Microsoft’s newest CRM suite, fully equipped with their Personal Virtual Assistant, Cortana. “Tasks available via Cortana voice commands will include setting up meetings and reminders, searching for contacts, accounts and activities, calling up customer lists and creating new records” (Cortana to Give Voice and Ears to Dynamics CRM).

It seems like Microsoft is making the right moves, at the right time by enhancing their Dynamics CRM platform. Research from trusted analyst firms in the industry are advocating for a shift to omni-channel CRM systems; that is, moving from a Contact Center to a Customer Engagement Center (CEC). According to one of the leading analyst firms, it is imperative for companies to include multiple business applications and technologies that will coexist and work cohesively. Some examples of functions that incorporate to create the full CEC ecosystem are: knowledge management solutions, social media channels for customer to receive support (including blogs, communities, and forums), providing mobile support options, and more.

Other CRM vendors are further validating the need for omni-channel CRM platforms. Recently, the customer service and engagement vendor, [24]7, acquired Virtual Assistant company, Intelliresponse. Another example is Nuance’s acquisition of VirtuOz a while back. These CRM vendors are realizing the value of adding Virtual Customer Assistants as another channel to enhance their CECs. Since self-service is becoming one of the most preferred means for communicating with a company, it is going to be key for CRM vendors to incorporate a way for customers to self-serve if they are on the web, social media, forums, mobile, or at kiosks.  

Do you think other vendors will follow suit with Microsoft? How do you think these acquisitions of Virtual Assistant companies will change the way we use CRM?      

www.nohold.com

Virtual Agent Tips and Tricks: What Are the Components That Create a Stellar Self-Service Experience?

Within the past couple of years, Personal Virtual Assistants have become household names (Siri, Watson, GoogleNow, Cortana, etc.). Although they are gaining popularity with the public now, noHold has been developing sophisticated Virtual Agents (VA) for over a decade. Based on our experience, and the satisfaction of our customers, these are just a few of the key features one should take into consideration when implementing a Virtual Agent: 

1. Natural Language Processor (NLP). The NLP gives the VA the intelligence to provide the right answer to a question, even if questions are phrased differently, or if there is misspelled or morphed words. For example, "Show me a neworking sample" and "What is a network?" Due to the NLP, even though the questions are different and there is a misspelled word in one of the phrases, the VA will still provide me with the same answer. 
2.  Multilingual Capability. Having a multilingual Virtual Agent is one of the differences between  becoming a global success and staying a local commodity.  Global support options should speak the language of your audience. 
3. Reporting metrics. This feature allows you to listen to the Voice of the Customer (VoC), and gives the customer an opportunity to share how he/she feels about the experience. Flexible reporting options empower trusted brands to not only listen to the VoC, but also to customize the reporting they capture from each interaction. 
4. An effective VA should be able to provide multimedia options within the solutions. For example, including images for visual learners, or embedding an instructional video to demonstrate how to fix the audio sound on your PC. Most people prefer watch a clip to see how something is done, instead of reading a long list of directions that can often be confusing. 
5. Ease of implementation and ease of maintaining is another feature to look out for when learning about Virtual Agents. A short implementation process and easy administrative tools allow entry level associates (or even interns) to build and maintain a Virtual Agent. Some noHold customers utilize short overview videos to introduce groups a Virtual Agent to call center agents, employees, consumers and more. 
6.  Another important feature that a Virtual Agent should have, is the ability to ask confirming questions. In a natural conversation with your peers, the listener often confirms he/she understands your request before responding or taking action. For example: "Where is the light?" Before answering, the other party might ask "Are you asking me where is the light in the kitchen?" By implementing this type of feature, you keep the conversation as close to a human interaction as possible, while avoiding a false positive response. 
7. Clarifying Questions. The end user should be able to ask clarifying questions without confusing the VA. For example: During a natural conversation, I might use a term that my audience is not familiar with. In this case, my peer or audience should be able to stop me and ask "Before you proceed, please tell me what a Virtual Assistant is?" The ability to ask clarifying questions is imperative for the end user to have a successful dialog, and a smart self-service application should be able to mimic that dialog. Clarifying questions during a VA conversation empowers the end user to understand a term, and then continue naturally with the remainder of the conversation without a hiccup. 
8. Change of subject. The end user should be able to abruptly change subject during the interaction without confusing the VA. Giving consumers the freedom to control which direction the conversation goes in is an important aspect to increasing Customer Satisfaction. 
9. Integration with the customer experience ecosystem. A Virtual Agent can live within your existing call center, integrate with live chat, and/or other applications. Having open APIs gives companies the flexibility to create a custom Virtual Agent that is specific to the needs of the brand. In addition, seamless customer experiences increase customer loyalty and satisfaction, and have proven to reduce costs. 
10. One of the most important features that a Virtual Agent should have is the ability to be diagnostic and interactive. Sometimes, users need help diagnosing or figuring out what the problem is. When there is an 'error' message, the customer may not understand how to troubleshoot the problem. With the diagnostic element, a Virtual Agent can help troubleshoot the problem and give interactive instructions to solving the issue. A Virtual Agent makes sure it understands you and you understand it, every step of the way.    

These are just some of the most popular best practices that have worked for our customers. The light-weight, flexibility of a Virtual Agent gives companies the power they need to create a stellar customer experience, from the beginning of the relationship all the way to supporting that relationship.  

What are the features that make your customer experience stellar? Does your company offer self-service options for pre-sales, customer service/care, and support? What is your strategy to creating a unified customer journey for end-users?

www.nohold.com 

35% of IT Operations Organizations Will Have 75% of IT Service Desk Contacts from the Business Resolved by Virtual Assistants

In recent news, noHold announced last Thursday our partnership with a trusted provider of user-oriented IT solutions for systems, security, mobility, and ITSM challenges. In doing so, we are working together to introduce the next-generation Help Desk to IT organizations with the help of Virtual Assistants/Virtual Agents. Here is our stance on the topic.   

Typically, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction are prioritized on two different levels, and in a customer-centric world, companies often let employee satisfaction fall by the wayside. In fact, industry experts in IT Operations have said that in general, IT Service Management is five to six years behind consumer-facing Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Knowing this, companies are taking another look internally and starting to incorporate what experts call a ‘necessity’ to running an efficient Help Desk. Top research firm, Gartner, predicts, “By 2016, 35% of IT operations organizations will have 75% of IT service desk contacts from the business resolved by virtual assistants” (Source: Gartner Predicts 2014: Automation Brings Promise to IT Operations Management, but at What Cost? 12 December 2013. Authors: Greene, J., Colville, R., et al.).

Some companies are already embracing a more interactive Help Desk. For example, Fidelity, the world’s largest provider of financial services, used Apple’s Genius Bar as inspiration for constructing their Help Desk. By doing this, the company is providing a closer, more personal relationship between the business and their employees. Multiple universities are also following suit, creating Help Desks with a similar concept to the Genius Bar.

A ‘Genius Bar’ inspired Help Desk is a move in the right direction; but as for the near future, IT organizations seem to be getting more interactive, in addition to becoming automated. In fact, industry experts agree that most IT help desk tickets can be handled through self-service. It is increasingly important for IT to implement a quality self-service solution for their employees to ensure profitability and employee satisfaction.  

A revolutionized Help Desk will include leveraging a Virtual Assistant as a first point of contact. One way of making a Virtual Assistant easily accessible, is through QR codes. Simply scan the QR code and a Virtual Assistant will pop up to help you with questions regarding BYOD, company policies, email issues, and more. When a live agent is necessary, the Virtual Assistant can carry the conversation over to the live agent so they know the root of the issue and can take action quickly. Incorporating a Virtual Assistant into your IT strategy can support employees, while allowing the Help Desk to spend less time responding to issues that can be automated, and more time focusing on the business.

I'll leave you with this slideshare demonstrates how a Virtual Assistant empowers enterprise customers.

www.nohold.com

Throwback Thursday: E-commerce Vendors Incorporating WCS Components into Their Strategy

Happy Throwback Thursday!

Lately, we have been hearing so many remarkable stories about e-commerce, online shopping, innovative QR code ideas, and more. Companies are really pushing the limits on what technology can do in the hands of the consumer. I thought it would be interesting to write a throwback on the first e-commerce software. 

Intershop Communications, founded in 1992, was the leader in e-commerce solutions. Once the World Wide Web became more common, they created the first German, web-based store in 1995. A year later, Intershop Communications was able to market “Intershop Online” to the U.S. This became the first e-commerce software in America. 

Today, e-commerce is such a huge space for businesses to generate more revenue. With the Internet at the palm of the consumers’ hand every day, it is critical for companies to have a smart e-commerce strategy. Leading analysts are now saying it is not enough to just have e-commerce software implemented on your website. It is imperative to construct a strategy that will create a full 360 experience for the customer; and that can be achieved by combining web customer service (WCS) components into your company’s existing e-commerce suites. One way analysts are predicting the vamp up on e-commerce is by e-commerce suite vendors partnering with Virtual Agent (VA) vendors to produce a greater overall experience for the consumer.

Here is an example of a leading security software company that utilizes a Virtual Agent not only for technical support, but also for sales. Since the implementation of the Virtual Agent, they have seen increases in sales by offering options to upgrade, purchase additional licenses, and buy premier support. Based on Virtual Agent metrics, 10% of the Virtual Agent interactions result in eStore referrals each month, averaging 1% “buy now” clicks, and 10% “more info” clicks per month.

Eventually, e-commerce, CRM, and web support will all work together to fulfill that 360 experience for the customer. And as noted above, the ROI for having a blended e-commerce and WCS strategy will be advantageous for your company.

Cheers

noHold Augments Its Products Portfolio by Launching SICURA, Knowledge Management Platform

MILPITAS, CA, August 22, 2013—noHold, Inc. recently released a new Knowledge Management platform called SICURA. This software provides a better way to organize, store, and share information, securely. 

noHold has been a leader in the Virtual Agent space since its inception in 1999. By leveraging its expertise also in Knowledge Management (KM), noHold takes a step ahead of all its competition. SICURA™’s patented technology (US 6,604,141) is cloud-based, making it easy to install and deploy within your company; and is also mobile friendly. SICURA starts with a central component called ArticlesManager™, which is a system used to automatically index documents to make searching for information easier. Added to this platform are tools to help administrators manage content and capture usage Metrics. The Knowledge Management platform allows users two ways to retrieve the content:  through a Virtual Agent or Search ++. Search++ is an enhanced Google®-like search through the addition of a Natural Language Processor (NLP). Another feature added to the SICURA platform is its capability to integrate with external data sources via an open API set. Doing this allows for SICURA to connect to other solutions such as Live Chat, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), KM, and Content Management Systems (CMS). noHold packaged all these components together to create SICURA which can be used by agents, corporate, social media, partners, and the community. The slideshare below is a visual representation of the components that make up SICURA. 

SICURA the noHold Knowledge Management Platform from noHold, Inc.

The term SICURA means safe, secure, or assured in Italian. This name is fitting because the goal of SICURA is to provide users with a secure way to share and store knowledge. In this generation of cloud-based technology, secure content is imperative.  

After doing extensive research, noHold found out exactly what makes an effective Knowledge Management platform. According to leading analyst firms and industry experts, to be considered a competitor in this market, a KM Platform should meet certain characteristics and must include five knowledge sources. An effective knowledgebase also relies on four components. (1) A single repository of information, (2) an enhanced search engine with the capabilities to obtain and find keywords, (3) an administrator’s login to maintain the knowledgebase. This can be managed by the organization (structured) or can include unstructured data from channels like social media, (4) a User Interface (UI) presented via the web.  

According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for CRM Customer Service and Support, 2013 by Michael Maoz, the formal definition of Knowledge Management is, “Knowledge management for customer self-service includes corporate knowledge, agent knowledge, customer knowledge, social knowledge and partner knowledge. It is the accumulation and management of a knowledge repository and the delivery of that knowledge through a self-service interface or the integration of the knowledge with a Web chat, virtual assistant or email response management solution. The knowledge can also be accessed by a contact center agent to assist with phone-based inquiries.” 

SICURA embodies these guidelines and more. The Virtual Agent makes the platform mobile friendly and can achieve higher First Contact Resolution rates because of its interactive and diagnostic features.  SICURA is supported in multiple languages and with the use of Metrics, administrators are provided with Voice of the Customer (VoC) and Knowledge Gap Analysis. There is a single repository of information accessible to the Enterprise on the Cloud and allows for personalization through integration with CRM systems, making it easier to create specific answers for individuals. SICURA also includes applications that are designed for the Call Center, Support, Sales, Marketing, and much more.  

In addition to announcing noHold’s new Knowledge Management solution, SICURA, it has launched a complete makeover to its website, www.nohold.com.  The new website promotes clarity throughout all products and provides great resources on all things Knowledge Management. 

“We had very specific objectives when we created SICURA.  We wanted to have a solution that was cloud-based, mobile friendly and designed to support multiple languages with a Virtual Agent capable of rendering information on the end user’s terms.  We have achieved those objectives with a solution that is cost effective and easy to deploy,” said Diego Ventura, the founder and CEO of noHold, Inc.

About noHold, Inc.

Smarter Self-Service. noHold is a privately held company established in 1999 and is headquartered in Milpitas, CA, USA (Silicon Valley). noHold is the acknowledged leader in web based self-service solutions with a mission to deliver real answers to real questions - real fast. Simple to use, easy to implement and as close to human as you can get, noHold turns automated customer support into cognitive customer interaction. noHold customers include Toshiba, Lenovo, Cisco and a host of industry leaders.

http://www.nohold.com/

Press Contacts:

Sarah Ramoz, Marketing Operations Manager               Veronica Cech, Social Media Assistant sramoz@nohold.com                                                           vcech@nohold.com

408.946.9200 ext. 305                                                        408.946.9200 ext. 356

All other product and service names are the property of their respective owners.

To view the official Press Release document click here. 

 

CEO's Corner: Service Leaders in Web Support.

I like market reviews, where a number of vendors are compared to one another and the best is selected for a specific category.  I like them even better when I respect the people involved in the reviewing process.  This is the case with the Service Leaders leader board published by CRM Magazine in March 2013.(article) The categories are well structured, the scoring mechanism well defined and some of the reviewers include: Esteban Kolsky, Principal and Founder of ThinkJar; Michael Moaz, VP and Distinguished Analyst with Gartner and John Ragsdale, VP of Technology Research with TSIA. All people I know personally and respect.  I paid particular attention to the Web Support piece.  Right from the get go Judith Aquino, Associate Editor with CRM Magazine reported three prominent aspects of Web Support:

• The need to deliver support across multiple channels and devices.

• The importance of deploying a platform that doesn’t require customers to repeat themselves.

•   The expectation that voice enabled virtual agents will become a major aspect of Web Support.

The last point resonates with me since noHold has been creating Virtual Agents for the last decade for some of the biggest companies in the world.  I must admit that up until a few years ago I was skeptical of the quality of Voice Recognition Technology, but the vendors in this space have made dramatic breakthroughs.  In fact, I think that the technologies are coming together to create real world applications 

1. The pervasive distribution of mobile devices. 
2.   The availability of Virtual Agents that not only include a Natural Language Processor (NLP), but also an Inference Engine (IE) that can mimic human interaction. 
3. The availability of Speech Recognition Technology that is both speaker independent and can handle continuous speech.

It is at the intersection of these three technologies that we will see the birth of new voice enabled virtual agents.  All I hope for is that they will be able to understand my thick Italian accent, because now, every time I ask Siri to schedule an appointment, she asks me if I want to know where the closest Starbucks is. 

Diego Ventura, CEO, noHold, Inc.