Archive for October, 2011

Facebook vs. Google+: Which Social Media Platform is the Best for You?

by Mary Cook on October 18, 2011 in 2011, Mary Cook, Social Media with 4 Comments

Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate with one another, and like it or not, the platforms you’re already acquainted with are here to stay.  With that being said, how does each one measure up when compared with another?  Is Facebook better than Google+?  Is Commonred as user-friendly as Formspring?

It’s anyone’s say, really. Social media platforms ultimately have one goal in mind and that’s to give people alternative ways to connect with one another.  Each network, however, appeals to different cultures and are used in entirely different ways.  So, in all fairness, you can’t say that all social media platforms are created equally.  You can, however, decide which ones are the most worthwhile by giving them a test drive.  This allows you to see how each network stacks up against another.

If you’re pressed for time like I am, a short review highlighting the positives and the negatives of each social media platform is an immense help.  After researching some of the heavy-hitters, I came up with this review to help you determine which network is right for you.  Let’s start with the two most popular: Facebook and Google+.

google v facebook Facebook vs. Google+: Which Social Media Platform is the Best for You?Facebook. Love it or hate it, this network dominates.  A household name worldwide, it has 800 million active members and over 70 different language settings to choose from.  Not only do you have the ability to connect with people on a personal level through wall posts, photos, instant messaging, and private messaging, you can also create pages for your business, association, and group.  Facebook can also be accessed from a number of mobile devices putting you in control of your communications wherever you go.
Overall impression: Facebook is great for one-on-one conversations as well as group updates and messages.

Google+. Not nearly as popular as Facebook (yet!), the network has surpassed 25 million users (many of which were former FB users who didn’t like all the changes Mark Zuckerberg and his crew implemented on the site).  There are some really great things that this social media platform features. The first is its navigation bar.  Alerts on network activity are pushed through to you but never are intrusive. The star of the network, however, is the group video chat function, Hangouts.  It’s easy to operate and surpasses any other video chatting service currently available.
Overall impression: Google+ needs to ramp up its platform by getting more users on board and using the network.

Commonred. One of the newest social media platforms available today, Commonred brings people together through commonality.  You can link your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts to connect to fans and followers that you may have not been formally introduced to. The platform uses the information that you post on your profile to make matches based on these common threads which ultimately expand your social circle.
Overall impression: Although the network is currently accessible through invitations only, it will only be a matter of time before the idea takes off.

Formspring. Perhaps the most basic of the social media platforms, Formspring allows you to ask your friends questions and respond when they have one for you. Registration takes a matter of seconds if you sign up through your Facebook account and from what I have experienced using the network, it’s a pretty solid way to learn more about the people, businesses, and groups that interest you. Formspring has visitors from every country in the world.  It has over 24 million accounts & 3.5 million unique visitors every day.
Overall impression: Having a mobile app has clearly helped the network become the success that it is today.

Social media networking is all about developing relationships.  No matter what platform you decide to use, one thing is certain - the faster you get yourself established, the more quickly you’ll reach people and change the way that you do business in the future.

Mortgage Bankers Occupy Rush Street

by Brian Moore on October 11, 2011 in 2011, Industry News, Mortgage, Susan Casella, Varolii News with No comments

I'm in Chicago this week where the Mortgage Banker's Association (MBA) is holding its annual conference and while the occupation of Wall Street is getting most of the headlines, these proceedings are no less newsworthy.

In fact, its not too much of a stretch to say the efforts of this group meeting in the Windy City could help address many of the grievances emanating from the south end of the Big Apple. After all, as the MBA President and CEO Dave Stevens put it in his keynote address:

“We are the work force on the ground 24/7 for those critical programs that cost the government next to nothing but mean so much to so many Americans. Those programs would still be some dusty pages in the Congressional Record if mortgage bankers--like you and me--hadn’t found a way to bring them to life. We make the dream of homeownership happen. That’s what we do. Mortgages are a bunch of rules and red tape until we turn them into something real with a front door you can walk through.”

While Stevens took responsibility for the industry's failures and excesses that contributed to the downturn in the housing market, he also challenged those looking to fix these problems with increasingly restrictive regulations:

“They figure if they outlaw a list of mortgage products or micromanage underwriting guidelines, then housing markets will never again get out of sync. They see the market as simply in need of a tough new cop on the beat who will outlaw things that could even remotely lead to future problems. But those of us who have been in the industry for years know that it is just way more complicated than that. For many of these outlawed products there are families who will be denied homeownership even though they qualify and need some of these flexible guidelines in order to meet different employment and income patterns. The key here is to ensure that the borrower really understands the loan they are getting and that they can sustainable make their payments.”

Looking ahead to how mortgage bankers will work with the next generation of home buyers, the thirty year industry vet echoed the self-service mantra regular readers of the Varolii blog will recognize as our raison d'etre:

“We will help them in ways that they want to be helped. These young buyers have grown up in a marketplace where they have learned to transact in a self-service model. They are used to doing the research on products and providers. So when it comes time to buying a home, they will set the terms for the services we provide, but the whole thing must be built on trust. These are challenging times for American consumers and this effort reflects our deep commitment to putting America back on strong financial footing--one customer at a time.”

If you are at the conference and want to learn more about how Varolii is working with to help the mortgage industry do just that, come see us at booth 2202.
mba booth1 Mortgage Bankers Occupy Rush Street

Why Mobile is Not Just Another Channel

by Mary Cook on October 11, 2011 in 2011, Call Centers, Mary Cook, Mobile, Varolii News with 7 Comments
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Mobile devices have come a long way. However, mobile is not just another channel through which to reach potential customers. Mobile communications can be used as a way of enhancing your multi-channel strategies to gain maximum benefits for your business. That gave me an idea: write about how the unique attributes of smartphones can be leveraged to generate more personal and profitable customer interactions. The inspiration came from a February 2011 Forrester Research, Inc. report, Mobile is Not just Another Channel.

A multi-channel customer experience should be a seamless, unified and connected experience between communication channels. Mobility is a channel that delivers new audiences that may not be found in print, online or in other channels. Mobile communications reach customers in unique ways and deliver unique experiences and they extend existing business services (website, online ordering, in store, etc.). The mobile channel is, in essence, where the “Multi-Channel” customer is headed.

Many companies are using mobile as a way of reaching online shoppers or providing customer service. However, there are other ways to use the mobile channel, especially when you add this channel into your customer experience and multi-channel strategies.

For example, your mobile communication strategy could be a combination of print, online, and mobile communications. In this scenario, mobility can help acquire customers and business that perhaps neither channel is currently capturing alone. I still love reading my Sunday advertisements from my Sunday paper. And of course, I also enjoy shopping on Sunday afternoons on my iPad while watching NFL. A paper advertisement doesn’t drive me to purchase anymore. However, a QR code that I can scan from a paper ad that delivers me a link to more products, information or offering does. So in this example, the QR code helps bring together print and online channels—and all of this is capable by introducing the mobile phone into the mix. You merely create a QR code to be printed in a location. Consumers then scan the QR code and are either directed to your website, a mobile app, or perhaps a special discount is sent to them. So in this example, the mobile channel helps execute your communication strategy more effectively.

Delivering communications to these new mobile audiences can increase revenues because you are giving customers an easy, and in many cases preferred way and reason to access your company.

In order to capture your mobile audience, you also need to appeal to their senses on the mobile application itself. This could mean creating an application that gives them multiple ways to interact with your business. They may be able to buy your products online via their mobile phone. They may be able to make an appointment with you via a mobile application. However you incorporate mobility into your communication strategy will rely completely on you and what your business is all about.

When you use mobile communications as part of your customer experience strategy and you help to drive traffic to your other channels, you are increasing consumer “stickiness.” Mobile pages representing your website can increase shopping on your website as customers now have the opportunity to shop whenever and wherever they are, instead of waiting until they are in front of a computer. The same thing can be said about mobile coupons and other advertising methods. Delivering these things into consumers’ hands while they are out and about can create an immediate impact.

These unique mobile ways of reaching customers can help your company stand out from the crowd. Unique experiences are what will ultimately keep consumers coming back for more because you are giving them something that your competition is not. Mobile services and strategies will continue to evolve, and should be viewed as multi-channel, cross-channel or mobile-only communications, with their sophistication growing over the course of this evolution. As with any other channel, offering mobile services that have the ability to lift consumer satisfaction, loyalty and brand perception just makes good sense.

Interactive Communications and the CRM Puzzle: The Last Mile of CRM

by Kael Kelly on October 10, 2011 in 2011, Call Centers, CRM, Kael Kelly, Wireless/Telcom with 1 Comment
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In the 1990s and 2000s, as broadband networks proliferated, telecommunications service providers struggled with what the industry coined as “the last mile problem.” High bandwidth networks crisscrossed the country, yet mostly narrowband copper wire ran from the Telco central office to the customer’s home. The last mile problem was how to get the customer access to these new, bold, high-speed networks. For the consumer, the situation was like gazing through a store window and seeing the perfect gifts, yet the store was never open.

With customer relationship management (CRM), companies spend billions of dollars each year in CRM software, contact center infrastructure, websites, analytics, and customer service representatives to support customers. They also invest heavily in systems to capture, store and analyze customer data for support and selling activities. Yet, when it comes to customer service, too much of the burden is placed on customers to engage with the companies they do business with. They have to find the information they need, get support, and determine the appropriate course of action. In that sense, CRM has a “last mile” problem, too—how to get relevant, timely information to customers so they engage with the company to solve problems and build tight relationships.

To effectively manage their business relationships, customers must comb through information and support from websites, streams of email and postal mail, inbound contact centers, and retail centers. These customer communication tools are expensive for businesses and often don’t provide an easy way for customers to take action. That is, companies don’t have a way to fully leverage on the information and systems they have where it really matters: communicating with customers in a timely way via their preferred medium. Instead, organizations put the burden of managing the relationship on the customer.

The name of the game in this decade is customer engagement. Companies have to solve this “last mile” problem with smart, effective customer interaction. The great thing about our company is the power of Varolii Interact gives businesses the ability to better engage customers through multi-channel interactions. Not messages, not “blasts,” not spam, not information overload. Rather, highly personalized communications that inform customers and let them take action, including connecting them to an expert or support staff to engage at a different level.

Call Center Book Review

by Mary Cook on October 5, 2011 in 2011, Call Centers, Mary Cook with 1 Comment
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If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about contact center practices and strategies, it’s Greg Levin.  Voted “Most Likely to Write a Top Selling Ebook on Contact Center Best Practices”, he spent 16 years at ICMI witnessing and learning about the most effective practices with regard to workforce management, quality monitoring, customer satisfaction measurement, customer relationship management, agent hiring and retention, email/chat management, IVR and web self-service, outsourcing, home agents, and a lot more.  His popular ebook, Full Contact: Contact Center Practices and Strategies that Make an Impact, combines comedy with practicality.  His light-hearted approach to the topic has revolutionized the way that contact centers handle their business.

His 145 page book is broken down into seven different chapters and addresses best practices in metrics selection and measurement, agent recruiting and assessment, agent training and development, and agent motivation and retention. There’s also advice about workforce management and staffing, quality monitoring and customer satisfaction management, and e-support, self-service, and social media.  Sample questionnaires, forms, agreements, and articles finish out the ebook and give you the tools that you need to lead your contact center to success.

Easy to follow and written in a language that you can understand, Levin explains the importance of educating new hires and reminding existing agents about the meaning and importance of adherence, reducing burn-out by encouraging agents to take longer breaks, involving agents in the scheduling process so they get the time off that they deserve, and coming up with new and creative ways to make the job more enjoyable.  By making the contact center employee accountable, he explains that, “agents are human beings, at least in most contact centers, and thus need to be treated as such when it comes to measuring and 'enforcing' adherence to a schedule.”  He also notes that, “merely telling agents that they need to be in their seats at certain times 'or else' will do little to foster agent buy‐in and commitment, and a lot to foster agent graffiti and arson.”

Levin also talks about “taking hiring by the horns” by always being on the lookout for exceptional individuals who would shine in a contact center environment.  He states that, “typically, an agent hunt does not involve the use of any weapons or camouflaged clothing, but if that’s what it takes to build your frontline dream team, then so be it.  I’m not here to judge.”  The ebook helps identify your ideal agent and states that there are 8 Elements of a Successful Agent Recruiting Program.  Equally important is the “very long engagement” period that it takes to win over and retain agents.

A resource worth checking out, Levin’s Full Contact: Contact Center Practices and Strategies that Make an Impact is a must-have in all contact centers.  If you want to change the way that you do business, you’ll learn a few tips and tricks by reading this ebook.  I’ve gotten acquainted with it and I can’t recommend it highly enough.