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Operationalizing a Customer Focus Strategy -- Where the Rubber Meets the Road
In this economy, customer service can be a key differentiator in whether a company survives or thrives by satisfying, retaining and profiting from loyal customers. Today’s support organizations must design their support strategy with the customer top-of-mind.
Please join FrontRange Solutions at one of the following complimentary events to learn how you can successfully implement a customer focused strategy.
1/20 - Atlanta, GA
1/26 - Irvine, CA
2/24 - Virtual Event
For more information, click here.
Oracle's Incredible Profit Machine: 22% Maintenance Fees
Amid higher second-quarter revenue for new software licenses and annual maintenance fees, Oracle last month also reported higher net income due in large part to its phenomenally profitable annual maintenance business, which posted a dazzling operating margin of 91.9%. Yes, you read that right: an operating margin of 92%. For its second quarter ended Nov. 31, Oracle posted revenue of $5.858 billion, up 4% from the same quarter a year ago. That revenue comes from three buckets: New software licenses, where revenue was $1.653 billion, up 2% in U.S. dollars; Software license updates and product support (maintenance) of $3.247 billion, up 14%; and Services revenue of $958 million, down 15%. So it's unmistakably clear that Oracle has become increasingly dependent on maintenance fees for its financial health and its long-term survival.
Google unveils Nexus One "superphone"
Google Inc took the wraps off a new Web-enabled smartphone it called a "superphone," a device bristling with features from speech recognition to a 3D interface that the Internet giant will sell directly to consumers. The phone, dubbed the Nexus One, marks the first time the 11-year-old company has designed and sold its own consumer hardware device, and could provide Google with a viable challenge to Apple Inc's popular iPhone. It will ship immediately from Google's online store for $179 with the purchase of a two-year contract from Deutsche Telecom's T-Mobile USA, or $529 without a service plan.
EQA Designs Low-Cost "Indestructible" Call Center Cubicle for 2-3 Shift Contact Centers
Stepping up to the challenge of helping call center customers do more with less, EQAOfficeCubicles.com announces a new Segment Call Center Cubicle design to withstand the wear and tear of 24-hour customer service contact centers. Constructed only with metal and wood laminate tiles, EQA's Segment cubicle design is the most dirt-resistant "indestructible" cubicle on the market.
SupportIndustry.com to Publish the 2010 Service and Support Technology Showcase
Generate interest in your product or service by participating in SupportIndustry.com's 2010 Service and Support Technology Showcase.
Each participating company will receive a full page listing that includes information about your products and services, as well as 3 links back to your web site.
Deadline to participate is January 22, 2010. For more information, click here.
38 percent U.S. adults said that they feel surprised when they receive good customer service
Zendesk, an on-demand help desk solution, has released the results of a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive among 1,002 U.S. adults ages 18+. The survey results show that, even in the midst of a difficult economic climate, service and support is critical and should not be treated as an afterthought. In fact, 79 percent of U.S. adults said that, when they receive good customer service, it makes them more loyal to the company and 57 percent said they would be equally or more likely to talk about a good customer service experience than a good deal on a product or service.
Other findings of the Zendesk survey include:
-- Over one in three (38 percent) U.S. adults said that they feel surprised when they receive good customer service, which shows just how much potential there still is in improving this vital part of the customer interaction.
-- More young people (ages 18-34) than any other age group said that good customer service made them feel peaceful – a sign that, for future generations of customers, help desks will play a key role in their visceral reaction to a product or company.
-- Across the board, the poll found that customer service is very important to consumers in nearly every industry. However, when respondents were asked to prioritize in which industry customer service was most important, an overwhelming 47 percent chose the health care industry. Coming in a very distant second with 16 percent was the hospitality industry.
-- Men are more likely to tell friends and family about a good customer service experience (38 percent) than women are (28 percent).
A related survey of customer service reps conducted by Zendesk found that the Internet is also changing customer service: 58 percent of customer service reps said that "customer service is the backbone of our organization" and expected that email would greatly outshine any other support channel in the future. Fifty nine percent answered that customers needed an answer within one hour to remain a happy customer.
IT Trend Survey Shows Focus on Agility, Speed to Market, and Cost Reduction
The Society for Information Management (SIM) has released the results from its 2009 IT Trend Survey. More than double the percentage of respondents said their budgets in 2009 would be less than in 2008 (twice as much as the previous year’s survey), so the mantra is doing more with less. However, budgets look to be stabilizing in 2010, with 45% saying their budgets would be equal to 2009.
Respondents indicated that they spend more than three-quarters of their time -- 76% -- on nontechnical issues, including managing relationships with the business partners and internal IT staff.
The list of the top six applications and technology investments for 2009 provides the strategic insight IT executives need as they try to maximize efficiencies within their organization. The list
includes:
1. Business intelligence
2. Server virtualization
3. ERP systems
4. Customer/corporate portals
5. Enterprise application integration/management (EAI/EAM)
6. Continuity planning/disaster recovery
ERP systems, customer/corporate portals, and EAI/EAM are new to this list, which reinforce the drive to quickly deliver new services that reduce the cost of doing business.
While the development of hard business skills is still emphasized by 35% of the respondents, an even bigger emphasis is being placed on developing interpersonal skills, including communicating and collaborating, with 45% of respondents indicating these skills are priorities.
Other HR considerations that have traditionally received significant attention are receiving less focus this year, with retaining (7%) and recruiting (5%) employees significantly lower.
The focus on building relationships and communication has paid off. Stability at the CIO level is increasingly valued in enterprise organizations. In 2006, the average tenure of a CIO was 3.6
years. This has steadily increased every year since and, according to the 2009 survey, the average tenure is 4.6 years.
Is the IT Job Market Stabalized?
Janco has just released its 2010 IT Salary Survey, which shows that overall pay has stopped falling and has flattened out. In addition the survey show an increase in hiring demand for some IT professionals. The CEO of Janco, Victor Janulaitis stated, "The economic climate is still driven with a cost cutting mindset, business closures, and extensive outsourcing. However the worst seems to be over as salaries for IT professionals are no longer falling. " The CEO added, "...many 'baby-boomers' who had planned on retiring in the next few years are not leaving the job market frustrating middle aged workers who want to advance."
2010 State of the CIO: Today's Focus for IT Departments - Business Opportunities
In the past, CIOs saw their role as, say, installing business intelligence tools so that the marketing group could analyze customer data. Or upgrading enterprise resource planning software for the supply chain guys to improve order fulfillment. Vital work, of course, but inwardly focused and a few steps removed from living, breathing, money-spending customers. But now, CIO Magazine finds in their 2010 State of the CIO survey, top technology executives increasingly see bringing home the bacon as their job, too.
Full Article...
Sharpening Your Skills: Managing Teams
The ability to lead teams is fast becoming a critical skill for all managers in the 21st century. Here are four HBS Working Knowledge stories that address everything from how teams learn to turning individual performers into team players.
Full Article...
The 7 Deadly Sins of IT Management
Odds are, you've committed some venal sins at work -- if not mortal ones. Whether it's falling prey to gadget lust, hoarding information, avoiding necessary but onerous chores, coveting thy neighbor's budget, venting anger all over your staff, or letting ego get in the way of the job, we're all guilty of something. This article presents the seven deadliest sins IT managers can commit.
Full Article...
Four Ways to Ensure Quality of Service Positively Affects Quality of Experience
Contact centers present an opportunity to make a lasting customer impression. Swift responses, knowledgeable agents, short waiting times and clear connections all contribute to a customer's quality of experience (QoE). When technical issues result in a low quality of service (QoS) level, the result is a negative QoE - and that bodes badly for business opportunities and your bottom line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to avoid QoS issues from the start and give your customers a positive experience.
Full Article...
ITIL best practices and lessons for the new year
Adoption of ITIL best practices continued to grow at a steady rate in 2009. However, many practitioners still complained that there wasn't enough IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) buy-in or support needed within their organizations to realize its full value. Going into 2010, IT executives suggest focusing on identifying and implementing the ITIL processes that will bring you the quickest wins and most visibility to the business. In this article, find out how three ITIL users are finding ways to slowly but surely integrate ITIL best practices into the business.
Full Article...
Talking Technology: Where Are We Headed?
Dr. Mark E. Dean, vice president of worldwide technical strategy for IBM Research, sets the technical direction and overall strategy for eight labs across the globe. The IBM Fellow and National Inventors’ Hall of Fame inductee also leads global operations for IBM Research. Dean took time out of his hectic schedule to speak with Baseline about the future of enterprise technologies and how they will fit into the wider world.
Full Article...
Domino: How Customer Experience Can Tip Everything in Your Business toward Better Financial Performance
by Linda Ireland
Companies that use a target customer experience as their front domino reap the biggest rewards in profitability, growth and sustainability. For the first time, a book about customer experience belongs in the management and finance sections of every bookstore. This how-to volume, rich with practical exercises, provides a tested blueprint for defining the target customer experience and translating it into an actionable strategy that will lead to tangible financial reward.
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