A new year brings new hope, new chances, and new energy - or as the Dutch say – ‘nieuwe ronde nieuwe kansen’! At the start of 2011 I selected five key service themes for the focus of 2011; these unfortunately did not all play out over the course of the year. But one must not get disappointed in the lack of progress. One must smarten the goal and move forward…
For 2012 I have selected three service themes which are going to monopolize the conversations both on the blog and on location with our clients. In order of personal importance;
1. Digital, digital, digital: if only it was that simple.
This theme will discuss everything ranging from the internal challenges organizations face in keeping up with the pace of innovation (ex: smart phones to tablets to ?) to the basics of connecting the internal lines to deliver a seamless cross-channel experience. It is all easier said than done which is why we need to talk about it, share our experiences, and all grow wiser from it.
2. Customer Service 2.0: I am patiently waiting for my Dutch ‘wow’ experience.
Before getting to the ‘wow’ experience we will take a step back and first address a few basics to re-ignite the discussion around customer centricity. If the customer really is king why are customer service departments always located in the basement and possess the worlds’ worst coffee machines? In today’s competitive economy organizations can protect and grow their market share by making an impact where no one else is. Differientiate your business by delivering exceptional customer service; word will spread and customers will come.
3. Becoming social: inside and out.
In 2011 social media further developed and proved itself (once again) as not being a hype but a new way of interaction. While previous years focused mainly on the individual consumer, 2011 expanded this focus to include B2B and to the internal employee. This theme will explore and discuss all things social: how it changes the way we interact as consumers, as friends, as co-workers, and as business partners. To stay in the game organizations need to broaden their communication styles and invest in new technologies to provide the needed applications, data analytics, and infrastructures to become ‘social’. As with customer service 2.0, becoming social is a theme which will separate the leaders from the pack.
Over the course of 2012 I will be sharing my thoughts with you on these three themes. I am hoping this year is full of interaction and challenging comments from you all….as it would provide the proof that themes 1 and 3 are alive and kicking in more than just my head.
