Duncan Horsfall, Author at Cxceed

How Has Technology Changed Customer Service?

Technology is ever-evolving and with it, brings changes to the way businesses and their customers interact with each other. It's getting to the point where humans no longer want to speak to other humans. Some may call it misanthropy (the hate of other humans), I just call it sick of speaking to people who can't or won't do their job properly.

I think we can all agree that technology when done correctly, is more efficient than a human ever will be. There’s a strong correlation between the growth of technology and customer expectations, and as technology advances, so to do customer's demands.

But, is this a good or bad thing? Well, I guess it depends on how up-to-date the company is with the latest gizmos, widgets, or whatever other funny names are used. Companies that are ‘old-fashioned’ in their operations will start to notice their more 'hip', up-to-date competitors over take them in both customer satisfaction levels and as a result, the number of actual customers.

What Is The Role Of Technology In Customer Service?

In customer service, technology is used to increase the speed and efficiency of customer interactions.

Customer service technology trends have allowed companies to provide a more personalised experience, and save money. Although some companies have reduced costs considerably and also lowered the standard of service they provide to customers.

Rather than waiting hours on the phone, or days for a reply to an email, customers can make instant communication through the use of live chats or social media interaction. If you're lucky, the reason for your call can all be solved in an instant, thanks to these technological advancements.

What Is Customer Service Technology?

Customer service technology can range from having multi-channel communications, to using software to manage your customer database. It's any form of technology used to aid and enhance the customer experience you deliver.

From a manager's perspective it makes complete sense. Why have an error-prone, slow human to tell your customer something (that might not even be right), when you can use technology to personalize your message to the individual and do it instantly? It's nothing personal, people are just impatient.

Everyone wants their issues or requests to be dealt with quickly, and companies adopting customer service technology, achieve this every day.

The rise of technology might mean our robot-overlords will take over and enslave humanity, but at least the customer service will be excellent.

How Does Technology Affect Customer Value?

Technology can impact every aspect of the customer experience, whether it be placing an order, asking for help, or wanting to make a complaint. It adds value to the experience, helping the customer throughout their journey with the company.

So, just how has technology impacted the customer service industry? Let's take a look:

You're a Self-Serving Technical Wizard

No, I don't mean the kind of self-service you have at Tesco or Walmart, where you get teh infuritating 'unknown item in the bagging area' ringing out everytime you scan an item.

Instead, we're talking about the kind of self-service that results in you fixing your own issue. You may have experienced this already.

Have you ever had a problem with your internet, and you’ve been able to press a reset button on your router or computer to fix it? Self-service!

When it works, you don’t half feel good - you’ve fixed the internet yourself. Technical wizard. Everyone will be so impressed.

Not only this, but the likes of banks are taking advantage of technology. Transferring money, checking balances, cancelling direct debits, and even cashing in cheques - all can be done from a phone or laptop! The added ease of use is bringing customer satisfaction levels up, and is beneficial to both parties.

Soon we may never have to leave the house or talk to another human again.

The Robots Are Taking Over!

Whatever you call them, chatbots, webchats or live chats aim to remove the need for an agent. They’ve already been around for a while, and can be hit and miss. Customers are often left annoyed as they are asked the same question 100 different ways to get the right answer.

Currently, though, chatbots are great at dealing with the simple requests like “What time are you open?” or “How long does delivery take?” Basically anything that can be found on the companies website, but we're too lazy to search for.

As technology advances, so to will the artificial intelligence (AI) for these chatbots. IBM believes that by the end of 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be handled without the need for a human agent.

Smart robots will be able to take over the world while helping us with any problems we have along the way... how kind of them.

AI Creates More Time for the Human Touch

As robots deal with more customers, human agents have more time to deal with more complex, personal requests and complaints.

Workloads can be reduced, not having to deal with the same monotonous problems. When this is the case, you can get the more critical issues dealt with, and your customers will be happier.

There's the added bonus that if your agents don’t have to be stressed out dealing with hundreds of customers, they’ll be happier in their job. Happy agents produce a better customer experience - that's a fact.

Don't Allow Social Media Fails to Lose You Business

I doubt companies would have ever thought about handling a customer complaint via the likes of Twitter and Instagram a few years ago. Now, however, it’s becoming more and more common.

The advancement of technology means customers are online all the time - usually on social media. Whatever the latest gadget a customer uses to log in to Facebook, or other social media sites, it’s another point of access that customers can raise issues on. No longer do you have to wait till you get home to leave a complaint; you can let them know as it’s happening! You can even tweet a company from the family fridge (no, seriously!)

As the ability to complain becomes easier and the audience gets bigger, businesses have to pay much closer attention to their social media accounts to deal with complaints.

Customer Service Is The Defining Factor

Advancements in technology allow more and more businesses to produce high quality, homogeneous (similar) products. As these products get more and more alike, there are two defining factors when choosing which you want to buy: price and customer experience.

Price can play a significant role, especially if there is a big gap between what’s on offer. Having said that, customers still often believe that a lower price means inferior quality, even if it’s the exact same product.

For products which are similar in terms of price and quality, it comes down to the customer experience you provide. The better the service you provide, the higher your review scores are likely to be. The better your reviews are, the more trustworthy you appear to customers.

When yours and your competitors products similar to a customer, they are more likely to go with the company that they believe will offer them the best service.

A Tailored Experience at Your Fingertips

Have you noticed that more and more online adverts are becoming personalised towards your needs? No longer do you receive adverts for children’s toys and clothes if you’re a single male living alone (if you do then what you get up to in your spare time is your own business).

Instead, you’ll be shown adverts that are based on your preferences. The wonders of data collection! Nothing is private anymore, not even the size of your pants (I only get a bigger size for comfort, okay?).

While this may creep out the more paranoid of us, it’s enhancing our customer experience. You’re thinking about buying some new trainers, and as if by magic, the latest shoes from Nike or Adidas appear all over your Facebook feed.

It's not all bad, the more companies know about you, the more they can tailor their support and what they offer to meet your needs. After all, the ultimate customer service is one that matches the customer's every need, even before they know it themselves!

Expanding Your Customer Service Toolbox

Gone are the days of call centers being able to get away with just offering phone call support. Progressive businesses have been expanding their customer service toolbox to build multi-channel or omnichannel experiences in an attempt to strengthen their relationships with customers.

As markets get more competitive, a business must be able to support their services over any medium. Whether it be mobile, social media, live chats, or even video calling, customers expect businesses to be able to recognise them across all channels.

As more and more companies begin to offer an omnichannel experience, this further raises customer expectations. If you can’t provide live chat but your competitor can, then you’re at an immediate disadvantage.

If you’re really interested about the omnichannel model, you can read about it on our blog dedicated to it!

Technology Changes, But One Thing Won't

Technology can change as much as it likes, but one critical point still remains: you need to know what you’re doing well, and not so well. How do you go about doing this? By asking your customers!

Cxceed makes it simple to receive feedback from your customers, to gain a better insight into the specific interactions they are having with you and analyze what you can improve. This information can then be used to enhance the customer experience you provide by further targeting the areas that need improving.

Cxceed has a whole host of features to help improve your business, which you can see here.

So, It's Wise to Embrace Technology!

While it may seem a bit of a hassle to get your head around the latest programs and trends, it’s well worth doing. It’s easy to take technology for granted. Without it though, any company would struggle to stay competitive - no matter how good their product is.

Of course, this is only how technology has changed the way customer service has evolved up to now. Who knows what the future holds, but businesses should embrace it, and try to be proactive, rather than always playing catch-up.

So, how has technology impacted the way you deliver your customer experience? Let us know in the comment section!

Improve Your Business Today

Discover how Cxceed can help improve your customer experience and boost your profit.

Tell Me More!More Blogs, Please

Uncategorized - 06/29/2020

What is Next for Businesses in This Lockdown World?

All around the world, offices are empty, it's like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie. Suffice to say, these are not normal times, with most businesses being forced to either furlough staff or work from home, businesses are in a limbo state of panic and confusion.

But What If This Is The New Normal?

All of a sudden, those big open-offices and plans for renovations don't seem like such a good idea!

Nobody can predict the length that the lockdown will last, how it will come to an end, and the length of time non-essential key workers will have to remain at home.

But looking forward, what can businesses expect to happen in the future? And what should they learn from this period, to expand and thrive when they are allowed to go back to 'normality'?

My personal opinion is, the lockdown isn't going to end soon unless we get a vaccine, and even if we do, the world of work has changed for good.

If it were to end tomorrow, can we really justify going back to:

Staff queuing in traffic to get to work, to do tasks that they could do at home?
Judging people by attendance, not results?
Spending money on huge offices that aren't needed?
Expecting staff to take the day off to wait in for a tradesman?
A large carbon footprint?

Trust Issues

I've wanted to transform how our company operates for years. I always liked the idea of working from home, but like most bosses, I suffer from trust issues.

These are not something I was born with. They have been collected, along with the (metaphorical) bruises and scars from 30+ years of managing people.

So even though the concept of working from home was always great, and unlike most business owners, I have Cxceed integrated, so monitoring and ensuring the quality of our call center's communications was not a problem, I just wasn't brave enough.

My logical brain said do it, but my limbic brain (my emotional side) always said no, I just couldn't make the jump.

Should You Embrace The Change?

Nobody likes change that they don't initiate, but because I've wanted to do this for years, I'm not fighting it.

But should you embrace the change?

Alter all, not all change is bad. The fact that a virus has upturned traditional work practices doesn't mean that some change wasn't needed.

Working Online Means Catchment Areas Are Widended

When businesses shift to working from home, catchments areas are no longer an issue, meaning previously restricted talent pools will expand exponentially.

The pool could be overflowing with possible candidates who are willing and able to do a fantastic job from home, who wouldn't have been looked at twice before due to their location.

Have a business in Kent, but your best candidate for the job is in Edinburgh? That won't be a problem any more!

For employees, they would not have to worry about their dream job being too far away. No longer do they have to settle for a job that is "kind-of" what they're looking for. Being in the job that you really want is good for everyone - higher moral, increased motivation, and actually knowing what you're doing!

A Working From Home Model Benefits All Staff

Staff can also feel the benefits. They are people - some busy parents, some care givers. They have outside interests that make them happier and more rounded employees. Some struggle to get to work through transport issues, or horrendous rush hour traffic, but these don't always have to be an issue any more.

By allowing staff to work from home, businesses will have happier, more alert staff who want to do their job.

Not only do they not have to waste hours travelling to and from work (this could accumulate to a full day at work for some people), in some cases they can work hours more suitable for them. Moving from the office to the living room has shown positive results, with 68% of British employees saying they are more productive when working remotely.

More productive staff without the costs of an office? Sounds like a bargain of a deal to me!

Of course, this will depend on the type of business they work for. A customer support line wouldn't be very useful if all of their staff wanted to work from 9 pm until 6 am. For some jobs, you have to be there for what are deemed "normal" operating hours. But being flexible and allowing staff to work the sensible hours they want and can do, is a sensible move to allow for a better work-life balance.

Working from 8 am to 6 pm, with a two-hour lunch break could work much better for someone than a 9 am to 5 pm shift, with only one hour for lunch.

Lower Costs

Having staff working from home gives you the option of having more staff work during peak hours, or when you need an extra pair of hands.

Travelling to work to help out for just an hour doesn't make sense, but jumping on the phone to help out for an hour or two from home does. The potential cost savings and customer experience improvements are huge.

Businesses working remotely need fewer people in the office, and that's if they need an office to begin with! After all, businesses are people, not premesis!

Costs can be cut massively by downsizing the head office or getting rid of it.

Recently, the Chief Executive of Barclays, Jes Staley, suggested that the banking giant will now take a de-centralised approach.

“I think the notion of putting 7,000 people in a building may be a thing of the past, and we will find ways to operate with more distancing over a much longer period of time,” he said.

It makes sense. Why have the costs of a big office for all these employees when they can do as good a job, if not better without it?

Heating, electricity, rent, mortgages, food, security; costs all dwindle or are gone completely with staff working remotely, or from home. If your office is anything like ours, cutting down on the coffee and tea costs will be rewarding enough!

You also won't have to worry about anyone leaving the bathroom or kitchen in a mess which probably outweighs any cost out there!

You might have to help your staff out at first if they are working from home, some will need to purchase furniture and equipment, but this initial cost will soon be recouped with the reduces operating costs.

Finally Become a Paperless Office

Those businesses who work with documents such as letters or paper applications can make their workload a lot easier by moving it online. Paper documents are easy to misplace, a huge waste of desk space and take an eternity to send between people.

The paperless office was first talked about in 1975, but it's 2020 and email exists.

Ditching the paper will save time and a lot of money, especially through wages and postage costs. And, from personal experience, it's a lot easier to find a properly named document on the computer than it is find a piece of paper in an overcrowded filing cabinet.

It's Not All Roses

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's not, and companies who have their staff working from home can suffer from some setbacks.

People not being together in the office can mean the person to person connection is lost, and those working relationships might not either form or carry on.

For some, the office socialising and banter is key to their mental well-being, and without it, you suddenly realise that you're a lot lonelier. That two minute gossip in the kitchen, laughing at someone's bizarre dress sense, all gone.

Similarly, not being in a space filled with like-minded people can reduce creativity, as ideas might not easily bounce off each other over the phone.

Online tools such as Zoom can be used for a quick meeting to shoot some ideas to the team. But the amount of time to set up the meeting, make sure everyone is there is far more time-consuming than just turning around and asking people when in the office space.

Our Plans - A Hybrid Office

We are embracing working from home and are changing our culture. After twenty years building a business and scaling up to more, and bigger offices every three to four years, we are leaving our current Contact Center's building.

We have given notice on the lease and plan to open smaller, hybrid offices, which will become collaboration hubs, where our teams can meet and work together if they want to.

We will encourage 'team working days' where a team will meet up, work and collaborate for the day. Although some staff members may prefer to work everyday day in the office, others will be able to WFH most of the time. Apart from these team working days, it will be up to the individual where they work.

By adapting to the new reality, our teams will continue to develop and improve Cxceed whilst giving exceptional customer service. We will also research and adopt any other applications which are needed to improve communications with our team and customers.

Working from home requires both a change in management mindset and the right tools to ensure that we maintain control over the conversations our staff are having with customers.

If our businesses are to remain productive and our customers happy with the service we provide - we have Cxceed, so that is the tools sorted, to allow that to happen.

If you have any comments or can refine our ideas further, then let us know in the comments below, or if you found this article useful or insightful, share it to a friend to strike up that conversation between yourselves!

Thanks, and stay safe!

Improve Your Business Today

Discover how Cxceed can help improve your customer experience and boost your profit.

Tell Me More!More Blogs, Please

Uncategorized - 05/18/2020

Quora Asks Is Your Business Prepared for Coronavirus

Quora Answer: Is Your Business Prepared for Coronavirus?

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the world, and it's looking severe.

As the number of people infected with the COVID-19 virus rises, so does the risk of one of your employees catching it and infecting the rest of your team.

The UK Government has begun to advise thousands of people to self-isolate, and firms in London have already begun to ask employees to work from home as a precautionary measure against the virus. The oil giant, Chevron, asked 300 employees not to go into work to help cut down on the spread.

Employers have a duty of care to ensure there are minimal health risks to employees but how do we achieve this without a lot of people spending time watching Friends on Netflix, instead of working?

So, if the worst comes to the worst, and your business needs to 'self-isolate', here's how you can do it, whilst ensuring your employees remain effective at home.

Fewer Face-to-Face Meetings With Clients

The fewer people you see, the lower the chance you have of catching the virus. Simple maths.

So, physically meeting those business men and women who have been well travelled might not be the best idea - but that doesn't mean you can't meet them!

We live in 2020, a time when we don't even need to meet people face-to-face any more. Instead, it might be a better idea to have these meetings via a video conference, from the comfort of your kitchen. If anything, it can be better to do it this way.

Whilst talking, you can easily show them your screen without having to shuffle laptops around, and being unable to see for yourself. As long as you have a reliable Internet connection, and a webcam you're good to go!

Even just having a microphone can be good enough, as long as it's the same for both parties. And, as a bonus, you only have to tidy up what the camera is showing. Suit jackets and pyjama bottoms can even be a thing!

Visiting clients is a great way to build relationships, but like with the meetings, it might be a good idea to cut down for now. Instead, why not just pick up the phone to see how they're doing?

If anything, this can be more beneficial to you. Now you don't have to spend time going to the location, spending money on fuel, as well as picking up snacks for the road.

When your client has any requests, you might be able to do it straight away from your office, rather than waiting until you get back.

But don't let the virus be only reason you cut down on meeting your clients. By having over-the-phone/video conferences, you're cutting down on those costs we mentioned.

Not only is it better for the environment, but it's better for your wallet whilst saving you a lot of time.

Keep Your Distance

There aren't many better ways to spread a virus than having a load of people in a small space coughing all over each other.

If you can try space everyone out, then do it. Not only will you not have to smell someone's smelly lunch quite as much, but you've also got the freedom to not sneeze all over your desk neighbour.

Get VoIP Phones Before It's Too Late

When your employees aren't in the office, you still want them to make and take phone calls for your business as usual.

Investing in VoIP systems will allow them to do exactly this. Just make a few configurations, and all necessary phone calls will get redirected to them at home - a must-have for anyone working away from the office.

Be warned though - if you're going to invest in them, you should do it sooner rather than later.

If it does become a case of having to self-isolate, they'll all be gone before you even get a chance. Every business will need them, and these systems aren't usually supplied in large bulk. Just a few offices suddenly buying them will clear out a lot of stock.

As VoIP systems will be an essential to allow your employees to work from home effectively, demand will definitely exceed supply.

Get yours now.

Put a Halt to the Handshakes

You might know how to properly wash your hands, but does the person you're giving a handshake? We're not trying to scare you into never touching another human again, but let's have a think about the journey of the person you're shaking hands with:

If they got public transport, think of all the surfaces they've touched on their way. Now think about how many other people have touched it.
It's likely someone has coughed or sneezed - have they caught it, killed it, and binned it?
Who else have they shaken hands with, and who has that person shaken with? It's not farfetched to suggest that down the line, someone has been in close contact with someone that has COVID-19.

Suddenly, a handshake doesn't seem so friendly...

Sanitize For Your Own Sanity!

If you haven't got the message that's being spread around faster than the virus itself, you need to keep your hands clean!

It's recommended that you wash your hands for 20 seconds, or sing "Happy Birthday" to yourself twice - the latter will definitely keep everyone else away, as you begin to look insane!

With everyone washing their hands more regularly than before, you'll need to stock up on dispensable soap and hand sanitizer.

Be careful where you buy it though, as some cheeky sellers have decided to cash in on the latest 'craze'.

£39.99 for 3 tiny bottles? No thanks, I think I'd rather get the virus...

And whilst I'm at it, how dare they only send by 2nd class?! Don't they know there's a world-wide panic going on? We need it NOW!

Amazon has been having none of it though, as they banned over 10,000 users who tried to hike the price up.

A quick shop around, or a visit to your local bargain store will provide you with a much more reasonable price!

Get Your Tissues Ready

Whilst you're at the shops, why not pick up some a few boxes of tissues?

We've all been guilty of sneezing into our hands and not cleaning them (not mentioning any names). Now there're no excuses for snot-covered desks and keyboards. Catch it, kill it, bin it.

Clean Your Keyboard

It might seem silly, but your keyboard is probably the dirtiest thing on your desk.

Every day you sit over it, typing away, as hairs, skin flakes, crumbs, dust and other bacteria fall in between the keys.

Now, to clean it, there are two ways - but it depends on how dedicated you are to the cause.

1. You could take off every key, clean each one, and then the board underneath it. This is definitely the best way, until you put the keys in the wrong place! And as they say: time is money.

2. The way I've done it. Get a good old can of compressed air and spray in-between the keys, give it a good shake, and see what comes out. Then after give it a wipe down with some anti-bacterial type wash.

TOP TIP: unplug your keyboard BEFORE you do either of these.

Don't Rely On One Person

Everyone has their own jobs that they take care of - but can someone else take their place if they're not there?

Ask yourself this question for every task your business does. If there's a job that only one person can do, you could be in trouble. What happens if they suddenly have to self-quarantine, and can't do their job?

Some small tasks you might be able to get away with and learn on the spot, but others, such as coding and web-design, you cannot.

Therefore, it's important to ensure everyone has a wide range of skills and has some level of know-how for their colleagues job. They don't have to be as good, or better (if they are, why aren't they doing it in the first place?!) but should at least have a decent understanding.

This isn't just a rule for viruses, but is a top tip for at any time. You never know what might happen to your star employee - just don't leave a big hole in your company when it does happen!

Working From Home

The easiest way, and most obvious, way to avoid the risk of spreading the virus is by asking your employees to work from home. For many staff, this would be welcomed!

Sitting at home in their cosy office, not getting distracted by colleagues talking loudly on the phone, and being able to make a brew without having to offer one to anyone else!

Getting your employees to work from home is probably the most straight-forward way to ensure your employees aren't contaminating each other (and yourself), but for many managers this option can be a little concerning.

The Right Equipment

Employees can come to the office and carry their role out perfectly well, but will they be able to do the same once in their kitchen at home?

You need to ensure that staff have the correct equipment to do their job, so Laptops if they don't own a personal computer, network cables to ensure the fastest speeds are achieved to do the work.

If they don't have an internet connection at home then that opens up a whole new headache!

Security

When employees are working from home it's likely that they'll need access to private or secure data.

Therefore, you need to make sure their firewalls are secure. Not everyone is a techno-wizard like your IT team, so you might need to show them how, either in office, or by screen sharing when they're at home.

If you take the second option, you will be able to rest easy, knowing they have the capability to set it up.

Are You Getting the Same Effort?

When we're at home, we naturally relax a little and lower our standards - even if we don't mean to.

As standards slip, communications with your customers may begin to suffer. Whilst COVID-19 may not be around for ever, the customer reputation you develop will be!

How do you know your employees are still putting in the same effort? If they're on the phone, it's impossible to know how well they're doing... isn't it?

Actually, no!

Use a System to Keep Control of Your Employees

No matter how much you trust your employees, allowing them to work from home is a risky, especially when their job includes communicating to current and potential customers, so it's important to be able to track their progress from home, which you can now do.

Cxceed is a Quantity Assurance System that makes it easy to evaluate the communications your staff are having with your customers.

Using customer feedback, as well as AI, Cxceed identifies which communications require an evaluation - allowing you to spend your time on the ones that need your attention.

It's never been easier to keep an eye on your employees and ensure they're doing exactly as you asked!

Train From Home

As well as allowing for quick and easy evaluations, Cxceed allows you to easily mark a selection of the best and worst conversations your staff are having with customers.

These can be assigned to the individual who undertook the communication, as well as their peers. Allowing your staff to evaluate their own interactions shows that you trust their judgment, and can be a great motivator.

By creating such a unique level of transparency in the evaluation process, everyone will begin to understand and have clarity over the required expectations, and find they can meet them easier.

Every conversation becomes an opportunity to train, improve, and motivate your team! It doesn't matter whether your employees are making calls from the office, or their bedroom - they can easily connect to Cxceed.

Of course, you don't need a global pandemic to get started with Cxceed. Why not get started today, and then you'll be able to improve your business no-matter the situation!

Start Testing Now

It might not be time to send every home, but that doesn't mean you can't test it.

The last thing you want is to send all your employees home one day to find out that all the planning and technology has failed. By getting a few members of the office to trail it, you can iron out any issues to ensure the business runs just as smoothly at home as it does in the office.

Not only this, but those who have been asked to work from home now won't be able to spread or catch the virus from anyone else in the office. If the worst does happen, and one of your staff members does get infected, then at least your whole team won't go down with it.

Better to have 50% of the office working from home than off sick!

Publish Your Action Plan

Now that you know your course of action, you need to make sure everyone else does!

Publish your action plan, and make sure your employees know about it. Have team meetings, send out emails, put posters up around the office. Just make sure everyone is on the same page!

So, even if Coronavirus forces us all to hibernate, it doesn't have to put a halt to your business!

With Cxceed, you can easily keep track of your employees communications, and help them improve - no matter where they are.

If your business was to go into a self-lockdown, how would you cope? Let us know in the comments section!

Improve Your Business Today

Discover how Cxceed can help improve your customer experience, and boost your profit.

Tell Me More More Blogs Please

Uncategorized - 03/04/2020

Are Our Devices Listening To Everything We Say?

Have you ever been talking about something with a friend, maybe about a new phone or car, and then all of a sudden... it's being advertised to you online?

'How weird is that?' you think as you scroll past the adverts.

You wouldn't be alone, though. Everyone seems to have some kind of story relating to this; maybe we're being over-paranoid, afraid that there's no such thing as privacy anymore.

But is it really a coincidence, or are our devices listening to every word we say? Do we need to start wearing tinfoil hats?

Let's take a deeper look, and discuss some theories.

The Undeniable Proof

In technical terms, it is possible for your phone to record everything you're saying. How many apps request permission to access our photos and microphone, and how many do we actually say no to?

When doing some research for this blog, I noticed some very concerning headlines: "Apple and Google Stop Workers From Listening To Intimate Recordings of Customers"

Well, that's promising.

In August 2019, Google and Apple suspended their employee's access to recordings made by their virtual assistants, Google Assistant and Siri respectively.

Why? Because workers were listening to people's private conversations, which included drug deals, and people getting frisky in the bedroom. All those intimate, private moments - not so private.

The workers in question were sent home, but it remains unclear what happened next.

Maybe next time you and your lover lock eyes, keep the phones out of the bedroom - unless you're into that sort of thing.

The more concerning part is that the devices are only meant to record audio when prompted. So, why have they been able to record people having sex?

Surely people aren't shouting "Hey Siri!", "Ok Google!", or "Alexa!" - Well maybe the last one. Be careful who you go out with...

Whilst these two major tech players were caught, Amazon openly admitted earlier on in the year that they listen to a sample of Amazon Echo recordings, with the purpose of doing so to improve their voice-assistant.

The things we will give up for a better customer service! We're a big fan of improving your customer service - but there are better ways to do it.

Well, I guess that settles that. Our devices are listening to us - well, the likes of Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri are at least.

They're Watching Us!

Your device could not only be listening, but actually record your screen activity.

At Northeastern University, they'd just about had enough of these rumours and conspiracies flying around, so they carried out a full-blown investigation.

They downloaded 17,000 of the most popular apps onto several phones. None of the apps activated the microphone, but rather, took screenshots of themselves, which were then sent to third parties.

Out of the 17,000 applications downloaded and tested, over 9,000 did this, and the majority didn't make it clear in the terms and conditions that it would happen.

It may be the case that some companies use this data to help improve the customer experience, but there's nothing to say a third party couldn't be sold the information.

Is this worse than recording your voice? I guess it depends what is on your screen, and what it's used for.

Another concerning factor is what happens when the apps are running in the background - can they still take screenshots of your device?

To See or Not To See: We Put The Theory To The Test

One of our male colleagues, who does not shop for female clothing (so he tells us), said the words "women's lingerie" into his phone when it was locked.

Here's where it gets interesting - when he was scrolling through a webpage on his computer later the same day, an advert for Victoria's Secret came up.

The computer doesn't have a microphone connected, so how could this happen?

Here are our theories:

> Another phone which is connected to the same Wi-Fi picked it up.
> He actually buys women's lingerie (for himself, or others).
> It's just a total coincidence.

Whilst the second and third theory aren't too far-fetched, the first one can't be right.

If the phone on the Wi-Fi picked it up, why haven't the rest of us seen it? Can this sort of information be passed across, and transferred to different users on the same internet connection?

Maybe he just wanted an excuse to look at women's underwear at work...

Something else similar happened to me recently.

Further down in this blog you will see me mention researching a trip to Amsterdam from home (spoiler alert!).

Afterwards, at work I mentioned the trip to a colleague. Low and behold, no more than an hour later, I received an advert on my works PC for... yes, you guessed it, flights and hotels for Amsterdam.

I definitely had not typed the word on my works PC or searched, anything to do with the Dutch city - (I've only searched it at home).

Something is definitely taking notes!

Funnily enough, half of my adverts now seem to be regarding holidays.

Why Our Devices Aren't Listening To Us

Digital Footprint

When you consider the amount of content we consume every day, whether it be through Facebook, YoutTube, Google, our emails etc, it's a lot.

The amount you actually view is probably a lot more than you realise. With every link, post, webpage, email, and video that you view, a cookie will be placed on you.

Why would companies spend thousands on the technology to listen on you, when you have a whole jar of cookies that are giving your interests away?

You want a holiday. You've had a little browse here and there before, but you've saved enough money and it's time to book! All of a sudden, those holiday adverts at the side of your page will begin to attract your attention.

When TUI (other choices are available) email you about a bargain holiday, of course you're going to click on it! Now they know you've been tempted, so will begin to retarget you with adverts in the hope of luring you in.

The same happened to me recently when planning a trip to Amsterdam. I'd booked the hotel and flights, and wanted to look forward to some excursions whilst there. So, I went on TripAdvisor, booked one, and the next thing I knew I was getting adverts left, right and center for canal rides, museum tours etc.

No-one was spying on me. TripAdvisor placed a cookie on me, knew that I was going to Amsterdam, so they retargeted me with similar excursions that I might enjoy.

If you want to stop these companies retargetting you, just delete your cookies!

Constantly Transcribing Isn't Feasible

As mentioned, all the cookies tracking us means there is no need for our devices to listen to us.

Just imagine all the transcribing that would be required, and the space needed to store it in. We haven't even touched upon how unreliable audio to text normally is, and with all the different accents, combined with speed of speech, it becomes an almost impossible task.

If your device was constantly listening to you, and translating, it would take up a lot of processing power - and it would show.

Many tests have been done by examining the battery usage from apps that have permission to access the microphone. The results? All the same.

When not being used, or running in the background, processing power was always kept to a minimum, meaning it would be very unlikely for your microphone to be in use.

Based Off Similar Interests

If you buy football boots, then it's likely you'd be interested in football shirts too.

If you watched Shaun of the Dead, then it's likely you'll enjoy other Simon Pegg and Nick Frost films, such as Hot Fuzz.

What am I getting at here? It's pretty easy to guess what else you're interested in, based on what you have already consumed.

As we already discussed, you have multiple cookies on you, which allow marketeers to know what you're interested in. Because our data is being shared around like a pass-the-parcel at a children's birthday party, your interests are no secret.

If you really want to see how data is harvested, tracked, and targeted, I would recommend watching "The Great Hack" on Netflix. However, if you don't want to become more paranoid, maybe give it a miss!

Red Car Syndrome

Have you ever bought something, and then started to see the same product everywhere?

A few months ago, I bought some AirPods. Before I bought them, I could have sworn the majority of people were still living in the 1990s with their wired headphones.

Apparently not.

After buying them, I noticed everyone seemed to have them at the gym. Was I a trendsetter, or had I just been living in the past?

This is what's called the Red Car Syndrome, or if you're a little fancier, the "Baader-Meinhof Effec t". You don't see the thing in question, and then as soon as you do (or buy it in this case) you see it everywhere. Frequency illusion.

Well, it could be happening with the adverts you see. It could just be a coincidence that after talking about wanting a holiday that you begin to see them advertised everywhere.

Chances are they've been there all along, but since you had no interest in them they just got zoned out.

The Final Verdict

Want to find out if your device is really listening to you? Tell a funny joke - if it laughs, it's listening. If not, you might not be as funny as you think you are.

All evidence is pointing towards your device not listening to you, when you don't want it to, but I can't 100% guarantee it!.

Of course, the likes of Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri are listening, but hopefully only when you prompt them.

It appears that at one point, some nosey people were spying in on conversations picked up on these devices, but we can only take their word that it has stopped.

Before you set up your next Smart Device, check the terms and conditions as well as the privacy notices in the small print. You never know what you might find.

The unfortunate reality is that we've probably already signed away our rights when agree to terms and conditions. How many of us can honestly say they've read all the conditions before agreeing? Very few, I'm sure.

In reality, anything could have been in the terms of those face-swapping apps we've downloaded... even if you've deleted the app, it's probably too late!

Uncategorized - 02/27/2020

How to Deal With Sales Rejection

Having someone reject you is never nice. Putting yourself out there only to get your efforts thrown back in your face. And no, I'm still not bitter that my childhood love said no to a date when I was 15. I'm talking about sales rejection; always being told no, can damage anyone's confidence. To me there are few this worse than the gut-wrenching feeling when you do get close to a deal, only for it to be cut off at the last minute.Even the most experienced sales rep never gets used to hearing the words, 'NO, THANKS.' (If you're even lucky enough to get the thanks!)Sales rejection is part of the job; not everyone is going to say yes. So, you need to get used to dealing with it to move forward.Here are 10 of the best ways to help deal with sales rejection, all taken from personal experience.

Are you Hearing a Non-Existent No?

Are you sure it was a definite no?Before you take a look at the other ways of dealing with sales rejection, was it one?Typical responses like, 'we don't have the funds' is not a no. Consider when the customer/company will have the funds, jot it down and call again in the future.Another standard reply will be "we already have something like that." Ask what they already have, use this as a way into the conversation. Here you can explain why your service is better, and if it's not, you can win them over with your charm! Don't give up so easily, but don't be forceful. By just asking questions, you can get the information you need.

Keep Emotions In Check

Handling rejection in sales is never easy when you are low on confidence and not reaching your targets. But you can't afford to take it personally. Maybe the product is too expensive for them, or they already have one similar, and they don't need it. Whatever the reason, it's rarely got anything to do with you.Letting emotion get the better of you will always carry on to the next call. Then you are in a spiral of constant rejection as each sales call becomes a desperate cry for help.Also, don't carry the stress home. When you leave work, that should be it done for the day. Otherwise, you'll just be miserable at home being worried or upset, and nothing good will come out of that!

Get Others to Analyse Your Performance

There is nothing wrong with admitting that you are struggling. I do it every day.You will find you will go up in your manager's estimations by being open about your troubles. If you ask for help, you are more likely to receive kinder treatment than hiding the problem until you have to discuss it at an appraisal. By the time this comes round, it won't be a pretty sight, and your manager is unlikely to have sympathy if you haven't brought up a difficulty previously.From failure, you learn to succeed, cheesy but true. Having one of your colleagues/managers monitor your calls gives you another perspective. Others may notice the smallest things, like how you breathe heavily down the phone, or don't confirm certain pieces of information.When you talk to your colleagues, you begin to realize that everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is dealing with sales rejection. Discussing the obstacles to a sale with each other is an excellent way to dissipate your anger, have a laugh and joke, whilst discovering ways to improve from each other.Cxceed can be a great way to learn where you're going wrong, with opinions from your customers, colleagues as well as yourself.

Remember to Ask Why

There is nothing wrong with asking! Finding out if it was something you said that put them off can be the perfect way to improve in the future. Not knowing what you are doing wrong will slowly destroy your enthusiasm one call at a time. Ask why, so you can do better the next time, it's better than making the same mistake time and time again and not understanding where you are going wrong.If you find its something small, you may even be able to fix it there and then, and turn the result around!Asking why every time, turns every phone call into a personal training opportunity!

Be Positive, Not Negative

Negative thinking causes a spiral which affects your body language, tone, and most importantly, attitude. You can't afford to beat yourself up. After hearing plenty of noes, tell yourself that the next one will be a yes.The best salespeople are mission-minded. They focus on the primary objective of pitching a product/service, not worrying about the response from the customer. They understand that rejection is part of the process and don't get thrown off track from a bad call.A rejection is in the past, and you can't change the past (unless you have access to a TARDIS).

Stick to a Routine

Having a pattern to the way you deliver sales can be a great way to carry on from rejection. I used to set myself goals of making a certain number of calls in the morning, then again in the afternoon. It's also essential to have regular breaks in between to follow up on potential customers.Personally, routines keep you on track and prevents a defeatist attitude.

Always Remain Professional

From time to time, you're going to get aggressive responses from your sales pitch. For the companies' reputation, if not your own, it's so important to remain professional and polite. Word of mouth is a powerful thing. A certain stigma can arise from rude salespeople, so take rejection well, or just don't let the person on the other end of the phone hear your frustration.You don't know when you might need their services again. As I've stated before, a 'no' is not always a definite no in the world of sales.

Always Follow Up

Just because they say no today it doesn't mean that they will say no tomorrow. Schedule a follow-up call in a few months. In the meantime, regularly send them product information via email or even a letter to build their interest.Send them letters and emails, stay on their radar by connecting with them via LinkedIn and Twitter. Here you can post relevant content that promotes your product, making it a lot easier to sell.Play the odds, you know that a certain number of contacts will eventually become customers. That's why it's vital always to follow up.When you are making sales, always translate "No" to "No, not today." I've lost count of the amount of business that I have got from people that initially said no. We are all short of time, and sometimes the easiest thing to say to a salesperson is "No."Always follow-up and then follow-up again and again!

Improve your Environment

Put your rubbish in the bin and take your jam jars to the bottle bank! Yes, you should be doing that, but I'm talking about improving your physical and psychological working environment.Improving the physical environment is essential as it helps create a great place to work, which helps reduce stress and produces positive results.A clean office can make the world of difference. A clean desk is a clean mind.

Enjoy Your Downtime

Sales can be hard, but it is even harder if you have a miserable home life. Get out, let your hair down and party! Tomorrow is another day.Note 1: Don't get so drunk tonight, that you make tomorrow a lousy day!Note 2: I need to take my own advice!

The End of the Line

The 10 ways of how to deal with sales rejection above will hopefully help; however, it's down to you to change your fortune.Sales is a very strategic game, you will lose form from time to time, but you can control the number of times you do. So keep your emotions in check, and at the end of the day Sell, Sell, Sell!And if you don't make a sale, chin up there's plenty more potential customers in the sea!If you have any ideas on how to deal with sales rejection, drop us a comment below.

Improve Your Business Today

Discover how Cxceed can help improve your customer experience, and boost your profit.

Tell Me More More Blogs Please

Uncategorized - 01/21/2020

The Customer Experience Provided by Budget Airlines

Travelling for business, having elderly parents living abroad and the odd holiday overseas means that I regularly fly short-haul.The air miles quickly mount up, and in the past year, I've caught 26 flights - all with budget airlines.

I'm a simple man, the cheapest airlines will do for me.

Flying so often with Wizz Air, Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet, I've noticed quite a lot of differences between them and the customer experience (CX) they deliver.

Plenty of blogs out there discuss the baggage allowances each airline allows but I'm going to miss that out. Instead, I'm going to give you an airline comparison focusing on the customer service each provides and how much I enjoy traveling with them.

The Experience

Each airline has a different feel about it; if they were all flying the same route, I would choose them in this order:

1. Jet2 2. easyJet 3. Wizz Air 4. If you were forcing me, Ryanair

Let's do an airline comparison to see why.

Ryanair

Starting on a positive note; Ryanair's coffee is superb. They serve you Lavazza filter coffee in clever meshed lid cup which allows you to drink from them, without taking the lid off.

The planes are always modern, but the legroom is just OK (bear in mind, I'm 6 foot).

It's one of the cheapest airlines if you're flying light.

Now the negatives.They fly to some second-tier airports that are not even close to the cities that bear their name, such as Frankfurt-Hahn Airport which is a 77-mile drive to Frankfurt City Centre.I'm always on edge when booking Ryanair. They appear to delight in catching people out and making them pay a fine. The staff always appear tired, their uniforms look like they have seen better days, and many of them give the impression that they are looking forward to their shift finishing.

Despite the great coffee, you can never relax, with more announcements than a racecourse blasting over the tannoy, and they are always trying to sell you something, such as their "charity" scratch-cards (which according to The Sun, you have a 1.2 Billion to 1 chance of winning the jackpot, and they give just 0.3% of the profits to charity).

Ryanair seems to love treating people poorly, and I've met plenty of people who refuse to fly with them.

Wizz Air

Wizz Air is an Eastern European airline whom I would describe as professional and functional. Based in Hungary, they tend to fly to Eastern European destinations, and every plane I've flown on has been modern.The staff are professional but a little stand-offish and very matter of fact. They welcome you onboard and do their job, but there is no conversation or attempt at interaction, although this could be because English is usually their second language.Wizz Air sometimes flies to second-tier airports, which are far out of the city they are named after. I made the mistake of booking a flight to Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport and then flying out of Paris Beauvais Airport.Paris Beauvais is 55 miles outside of Paris, and when I travelled, the trains weren't going there on Sundays! They have cheap coaches going there from Paris-Porte Maillot, but they take at least 80 minutes to get there, and we had to queue for over 50 minutes just to get on one! Even though there was a 6-hour gap between flights, I only just made it.Their coffee is barely drinkable, and you are unlikely to order a second. The legroom is adequate, and the flight usually uneventful. They regularly have 20% off days, so it's worth being signed up to their email list to be informed of these.

easyJet

easyJet is a UK based budget airline whose staff always appear a bit stressed and harassed to me, although I've always found them to be professional.It is a bit pot luck as to how the staff treat you. Some of them really make an effort, but others don't appear to care.The flights usually go to the main airports, so even if the cost of the flight is higher than Ryanair or Wizz Air, you can easily save more than the difference by not having to fork out for onward travel.Every journey I've made with them has been on a modern plane. The legroom is just about OK, but the thing which stands out in my mind is that the coffee has always been disgusting.

Jet2

Yorkshire based budget airline, Jet2, runs a mixed bag of planes. Most are new, but it has some older ones, with the oldest being 32 years old - although I've been on this plane and found no problems with it.Aeroplanes are designed to last indefinitely, and I think I would prefer to fly on this well-tested plane than a brand new one (especially a Boeing 737 Max).For the last couple of years, I've had plenty of legroom, but previous to this, on some journeys I've been too cramped.They serve Starbucks coffee, which is good, but it is instant Starbucks coffee and not a patch on Ryanair's filtered Lavazza.

Why I'd Always Choose Jet2 First

The Customer Experience provided by Jet2 is fantastic. They have reasonable baggage limits that are not designed to trap you into making a mistake so they can penalise you.The cabin crew are well dressed, smile and make you feel welcome as soon as you board the plane. Everything appears to be designed to make for a pleasant experience for the customer. They play relaxing music before take off. On my last flight, I remember it was My Girl by The Temptations.The Pilot occasionally lets you know where you are and keeps you informed about the flight, and when you land, they thank you for flying with them and wish you a safe onward journey.My colleague always complains that they are constantly playing Jess Glynne, who he dislikes, which just goes to show, you can't keep everybody happy.

To Conclude

"Over the last year, sentiment around airline stocks has eroded. Ryanair is down 32 percent, EasyJet has shed 23 percent, and Wizz Air is also 17 percent lower. Meanwhile, shares in Dart Group (Owner of Jet2) - while far off its highs of last summer - are up 22 percent."Running an airline is challenging, but it's apparent Jet2 understand that in such a competitive industry, providing an excellent customer experience is essential if you want to grow.Michael O'Leary's team has built Ryanair into the largest European budget airline carrying more international passengers than any other airline. But if they want to carry on growing in a competitive market, they need to start putting as much effort into their customer service as they do their coffee.

Improve Your Business Today

Discover how Cxceed can help improve your customer experience and boost your profit.

Tell Me More!More Blogs, Please

Uncategorized - 08/01/2019

Businesses are built on conversations.

Improve yours.

Find out how

How Has Technology Changed Customer Service?

What Is The Role Of Technology In Customer Service?

What Is Customer Service Technology?

How Does Technology Affect Customer Value?

You're a Self-Serving Technical Wizard

The Robots Are Taking Over!

AI Creates More Time for the Human Touch

Don't Allow Social Media Fails to Lose You Business

Customer Service Is The Defining Factor

A Tailored Experience at Your Fingertips

Expanding Your Customer Service Toolbox

Technology Changes, But One Thing Won't

So, It's Wise to Embrace Technology!

Improve Your Business Today

What is Next for Businesses in This Lockdown World?

What is Next for Businesses in This Lockdown World?

But What If This Is The New Normal?

Trust Issues

Should You Embrace The Change?

Working Online Means Catchment Areas Are Widended

A Working From Home Model Benefits All Staff

Lower Costs

Finally Become a Paperless Office

It's Not All Roses

Our Plans - A Hybrid Office

Improve Your Business Today

Quora Answer: Is Your Business Prepared for Coronavirus?

Quora Answer: Is Your Business Prepared for Coronavirus?

Fewer Face-to-Face Meetings With Clients

Keep Your Distance

Get VoIP Phones Before It's Too Late

Put a Halt to the Handshakes

Sanitize For Your Own Sanity!

Get Your Tissues Ready

Clean Your Keyboard

Don't Rely On One Person

Working From Home

The Right Equipment

Security

Are You Getting the Same Effort?

Use a System to Keep Control of Your Employees

Train From Home

Start Testing Now

Publish Your Action Plan

Improve Your Business Today

Are Our Devices Listening To Everything We Say?

Are Our Devices Listening To Everything We Say?

The Undeniable Proof

They're Watching Us!

To See or Not To See: We Put The Theory To The Test

Why Our Devices Aren't Listening To Us

Digital Footprint

Constantly Transcribing Isn't Feasible

Based Off Similar Interests

Red Car Syndrome

The Final Verdict

How to Deal With Sales Rejection

How to Deal With Sales Rejection

Are you Hearing a Non-Existent No?

Keep Emotions In Check

Get Others to Analyse Your Performance

Remember to Ask Why

Be Positive, Not Negative

Stick to a Routine

Always Remain Professional

Always Follow Up

Improve your Environment

Enjoy Your Downtime

The End of the Line

Improve Your Business Today

The Customer Experience Provided by Budget Airlines

The Customer Experience Provided by Budget Airlines

The Experience

Ryanair

Wizz Air

easyJet

Jet2