Customer Service Trends 2012

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2012 Fonolo. All rights reserved. 1

1.Mobile

Customers are doing more with their mobile phones than ever before. There are more than 5.9

billion mobile subscribers today, over 87% of the worlds population. The convenience and

availability of mobile devices, combined with integration into Twitter and Facebook is generating a

huge demand for mobile services.

Businesses are responding to this demand by providing mobile customers with an array of service

options. Telus Mobile Customer Self Service offering is just one example of this trend that we

forecast will continue to grow exponentially.

2.SocialMedia

Social media is changing the customer service industry. It is easier than ever for customers to

complain about a company and have their voices heard by millions through social media channels

such as Twitter, Yelp, and Facebook. Surprisingly, only 29% of Twitter complaints were responded

to by companies, despite the fact that83% of complainants liked it when the offending company

responds.

This shows that businesses are slower to adapt to emerging communication channels than

consumers. More and more organizations are looking to establish effective customer service on

social media channels, a trend we expect to continue. This is transforming avenues such as Twitterfrom one-way customer-venting channels into two-way customer service resolution channels.

Top10CustomerServiceTrendsfor2012

Predictionsonhowthecustomerserviceindustrywillevolveintheyearahead.

March2012


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2012 Fonolo. All rights reserved.

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6.Insourcing

Many North American organizations have outsourced their customer service operations overseas

over the past few decades. Why? To cut costs. This has caused the quality of service to suffer,

leading to customer churn. It has also angered North American customers who view outsourcing

what used to be American jobs as borderline traitorous, especially with the economic situation theyare in.

We foresee this trend reversing for two reasons. Firstly, companies are feeling the negative impact

outsourcing has on their customer service. While theyre able to cut costs, the quality of customer

service takes a nosedive. Acquiring new customers to replace those lost from poor service is a

costly and daunting endeavor.

For example, in December 2011, as a result of an agreement with its unions, US Airways announced

it is bringing 400 customer service jobs previously outsourced to Manila back to centers in North

Carolina. AT&T recently decided to bring back 5,000 customer service jobs back to the U.S as a

result of its merger with T-Mobile.

Furthermore, in an effort to encourage insourcing, an anti-outsourcing bill targeting call centers

was recently introduced in congress. This trend should be a win for customers, the economy, and

businesses who implement it correctly.

7.VoiceofCustomer(VOC)

More companies are implementing VOC programs for their proven ability to positively impact the

customer experience. Companies collect feedback to help them make improvements across theirorganization. The growth in VOC is driven by its benefits such as better customer loyalty and

retention.

Despite the increased adoption of VOC, many organizations are still not reaping its full value.

Aligning the right people and processes for maximum impact remains a challenge. Taking action on

the customer feedback that is collected is another hurdle most companies face. As the VOC trend

increases, getting it right remains a challenge.


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8.Video

We predict video will be increasingly used to provide customer service and support in 2012. With

approximately 70% of global online consumers watching online video, consumers have an

alternative way to stay informed.

A well put-together video makes information easier and faster to understand and share. This is why

people first flock to video tutorials before reading a manual, asking help on forums, or reaching out

to an agent. Video as a cost-effective channel successfully empowers customers to resolve their own

issues, ultimately deflecting calls from the call center.

9.Self-Service

Self-service channels continue to increase in popularity because they provide 24/7 service to the

customer and deflect calls from more costly channels such as the call center. With immediate

problem resolution at their fingertips, consumers gravitate to self-service options. Not having to

endure hold times or email response is an attractive feature to the consumer. It is a win-win

situation for both the organization and the customer, which is why self-service continues to grow.

10.KnowledgeManagement

Knowledge management has always been an important part of customer service. A well-designed

system has the ability to create a better experience for both the agent and the customer. Breaking

out of its silo tendencies, knowledge management is now integrating with a multitude of channels

such as mobile and social media.

Kate Leggett of Forrester Research states, Knowledge management has been around for a long

time, but weve seen a real resurgence. It has to be deeply integrated into CRM to personalize the

knowledge that gets presented to the agent. Case in point is there are few stand-alone knowledge

management solutions anymore.

This trend is confirmed by Duke Chung of Parature who says, We will see increased requests forenhanced knowledge capabilities. Over the past 10 years, knowledge management was made public

on websites. I think now, companies are pushing that information out to other touch points,

whether its in social or mobile, and were seeing a lot of opportunity to do that.

Companies are rightfully leveraging knowledge management across their channels because of the

benefits it provides them, their agents, and their customers.


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Appendix:IntroductiontoFonolo

DoCustomersEnjoyCallingYourCompany?

The frustrations are all too familiar: aggravating phone menus, waiting on hold, being transferred

between agents, unnecessarily repeating information.

Odds are that your call center is guilty of some of these flaws. They cost your company in two ways:

the expense of longer calls, and the loss of goodwill from your customers.

LowerCostsandHappierCallerswithnoInfrastructureChanges?

Yes! Fonolo's cloud-based service adds a new visual dialing interface to your call center that lives

on your website or mobile app.

Our approach is a radical departure from anything you've seen before:

No changes are required to your existing phone system. Delivers bottom-line results to your business in the form of cost reductions and gains in

customer goodwill.

Easy to set up a trial within days. Creates an improved experience and high level of satisfaction for customers via a browser

or smartphone.

Features

Visual Dialing

Reduce zero-outs and get callers to the right

agent the first time.

Virtual QueuingReplace hold-time with a call-back. Happier

callers and lower telecom costs.

Pre-call QuestionsReduce handle times by collecting info from

callers before the call.

Post-call SurveysImprove the customer experience by getting

caller feedback in real-time.

Smart-phone ReadyEasily add intelligent calling to your existing

mobile application.

Zero IntegrationWorks with your existing infrastructure.

Nothing to install.


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About Fonolo

Fonolo's cloud-based call center solutions provide companies with visual dialing

and virtual queuing services, improving customer satisfaction and lowering callcenter costs. Callers simply click on the phone menu option they want from the

companys website or mobile application, and Fonolo connects them to the right

agent - every time.

A growing list of organizations, including the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), Sirius

Satellite Radio Canada and VoIP Supply have discovered the value of using Fonolo

to connect their call centers with their web sites. The privately-held Toronto-

based company has received numerous awards, including "Best Contact Center

Solution" from ITEXPO Conference, "50 Best Websites" from Time.com, "Best New

Product" from Emerging Communications Conference, "Judges Choice" from

GigaOms Mobilize Conference and "Top Telecom Idea" from Springwise.

If your company is interested in using Fonolo, email us [email protected].

For general inquiries, please email us [email protected].

Learn more atfonolo.com.

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Customer Service Trends 2012