Author: Holger Reisinger

Can Voice Analytics Stem the Customer-Satisfaction Skid?

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

Big data, in the form of speech analytics, is revolutionizing the way customer service is delivered. Can it jump-start stagnant customer satisfaction levels as well?

I’ll admit it. As predictions go, mine wasn’t as bold as the ones that foresaw flying cars, the end of the world or even that spam (the digital variety) would soon be eradicated from the earth.

But unlike those not-so-prescient prognostications, my prediction actually came true.

Several years ago I forecast that corporate contact centers would soon dive headlong into “big data” to provide a better, more personalized customer service experience. Continue reading →

What Most Companies Forget When Fighting off Cyber attacks

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

The next battle in the ongoing war for security will be focused on devices which, thanks to the Internet of Things, are proliferating at an astonishing rate. But there’s one device that sits on almost every (physical) desktop – one that we rarely think of as a security threat: the humble telephone.

Never underestimate the ingenuity and effort that burglars will put into their work. If a team of committed criminals knows that there are untold of riches lying in a bank vault, they won’t be put off by a six-inch steel door, alarms and CCTV systems – they’ll find a way through somehow. Even if it means drilling through several feet of concrete over a Bank Holiday weekend.

There’s a lesson here for businesses, even if they don’t hold a hoard of gold and precious gems on their premises. Cybercriminals are just as skilled and determined as their colleagues in the offline world; if they know that there’s valuable data to steal, they will use the most devious and ingenious methods to steal it. Continue reading →

“Yes, I hear you” (but I won’t remember or understand what you’ve just said)

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

Listening, really listening, is a skill. It’s not just about hearing – it’s also about understanding. Sadly, we’re losing our ability to listen. In part this is because we’re not adjusting to the environment around us, and we’re not utilizing tools that allow us to properly tune in.

 

The English literature scholar and teacher Mark Edmundson recently explained how college students suffer from “cognitive impatience.” They no longer have the patience to read longer, more difficult texts, he said. Today’s students, it has been suggested, cannot read with the critical analysis required to understand the complex arguments often found in more demanding texts.  Continue reading →

Traditional Wireless Technology Is A Waste of Space

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

As businesses embrace the benefits of wireless technology telephony, they quickly run up against space limitations in today’s cheek-by-jowl office environments. New wireless standards offers a chance to re-think the office space. 

Communications technology might be making distances irrelevant, but people are acutely aware of the way that their own personal space is diminishing. The proportion of the planet living in urban areas has grown from 34 per cent in 1960 to over half in 2014, and we’re living and working in ever-smaller spaces. The average UK living room has shrunk by a third since the 1970s, for example; while in the US, each worker has lost 20 square feet of personal space since 1992.  Continue reading →

Customers don’t care about it, but will leave you because of it.

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

The bad news. There are five issues common to Call Centers that can cause you to lose 9 out of 10 customers.

The good news. Once addressed, you can make your top call agents almost twice as productive as their least industrious counterparts – boosting customer satisfaction and upping retention rates.

 

When someone rings in to a call center looking to resolve a problem, they’re going to be pretty selfish. They might even be angry. They’ll probably be impatient, too. And so they should be. They purchased a product or a service and, for whatever reason, something has gone wrong. They don’t care about your problems as a service provider – they simply care about their problems going away. And if you can’t help, they’ll be the ones going… directly to your competition. Continue reading →

Digitally enhance customer service. Don’t fully automate it

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

As the saying goes, “A problem shared is a problem halved.” Why then are many organizations automating their customer service functions – taking away the very human interaction that you expect, and need, when asking for assistance?

The answer, of course, lies in cutting costs. But are companies cutting off their nose to spite their face? In short, yes.  Continue reading →

My Choice for Health App of the Year

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

Tired of stressing out every time you glance at your smartphone? Introducing Pause and Sway, a couple of simple but effective apps to help us relax and achieve inner peace.

Let’s face it: Our smartphones are an indispensable part of our lives, but they’re also a huge source of stress: The anxious text from mom, the angry customer rant or the “where’s-the-report-you-promised-me?” note from the boss.

So it’s refreshing to discover a smartphone app that actually relieves stress. Continue reading →

Revealed! The Shocking Truth About the Goldfish-vs-Human Attention-Span Controversy

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

Digital distractions like smartphones, social apps and clickbait articles are diverting our attention and eating up our precious time. It’s time to train our brains to tune out the “noise” and focus on what’s really important.

Remember the great “Goldfish-vs.-Human” attention-span debate?

You know. Researchers determined that the attention span of humans had declined to eight seconds, even less than that of a goldfish.

News outlets like the New York Times, the Telegraph, Time magazine, USA Today and others breathlessly reported the disturbing details. Anguished commentary followed. Questions were raised. Fingers pointed. Continue reading →

Why Our Digital Assistants Say the Dumbest Things!

By Visit Linkedin profile Holger Reisinger

Holger Reisinger

Ever wondered why our digital assistants often fail in such spectacular and hilarious fashion? The surprising answer can be found within one of the most basic human skills.

Is your digital assistant having a hard time understanding you?

You know. Like when you ask: “Is it going to rain tonight?” and get back a cheerful, “Rain. A noun. Definition: Moisture condensed from the atmosphere that falls visibly in separate drops.” Continue reading →