How to navigate Customer Service through collaboration

There is no doubt that we are experiencing ‘the age of the consumer’. Research shows that, as those responsible for service adjust to and anticipate changing customer behaviour, business and IT staff are re-engineering end-to-end business processes, while acquiring and deploying suitable supporting technologies. This requires a shift to new ways of working and thus, organizational changes on executive level.

In a Forrester report earlier this year, Kate Leggett looked at top customer service trends that should be taken into account to deliver customer service excellence, assisting companies in understanding key business trends expected to unfold over the next five years.

Among the trends discussed, it was found that the quality of service delivered is improving through collaboration, with the adoption of collaboration having increased considerably in recent years, and expected to surge in the future. The biggest trend highlighted by the report though, is that collaboration is becoming a corporate mindset.

This affects the call centre industry, as it is believed that agent to-agent collaboration will assist in diminishing agent tier structures that are too rigid, for an environment that is more collaborative, subsequently increasing first-contact resolution rates. It is further felt that by relaxing agent tier structures it will promote more knowledge sharing.

Companies, through activity streams, around sales opportunities, customer service cases, and even content, are adopting real-time collaboration. The report points out the expectation of companies to better connect communities with customer service technologies, to encourage customer-customer, customer-agent, and agent-agent collaboration. This, in turn, achieves better incident closure rates and higher satisfaction. Leveraging activity streams, that are now part of CRM technology, allows for the adoption of “collaborative environments that cross functional organizational silos”, which allows interaction of the right resources in ‘near real time’, to drive business results.

The thinking, that effective collaboration can draw distributed teams and customers closer together, which in turn, leads to better efficiency and stronger relationships with customers, is corroborated by several research reports.

 On the other hand, Jesse Wilkins, in an Aiim report titled ‘The Rationale and Requirements for Collaboration’, asks why so many organizations are deploying collaboration tools or considering them? The report points out that collaboration, without the necessary culture in place, cannot be forced. As a matter of fact, time and money will be spent without any substantial benefit, when companies compel users to apply collaboration tools and requirements.

The Aiim report cites Mike Gotta of Burton Group who, in a blog post titled “Categorizing Collaboration”, identifies several reasons why individuals collaborate:

• Individual processes require user engagement. Technical support analysts collaborate with each other to resolve customer issues more efficiently. They might also collaborate with the sales staff to ensure that customer questions are answered effectively.

• Shared activities motivate collaboration. Project management: everyone has to succeed in order for everyone to succeed. Another example is that of an orchestra—everyone plays different notes at different times, but it all must work together or it is just a cacophony of instruments.

• Community participation induces contribution. Good examples of this include popular wiki projects, both public and internal; many listservs also support this dynamic.

Remember too, that collaboration happens for other reasons as well. These may include individuals wanting to share by illustrating their expertise on a topic, or membership in and the associated status of many social networks. The common factor is that this is cooperation and collaboration among individuals that are like-minded. Whether ‘accidental or inadvertent’ collaboration can consist of information created for a specific reason, which is then used again or repurposed.

What is more important, is that customers want to collaborate with companies.

Collaborating with Customers

Organizations, in collaborating with customers and partners, may be provided with even greater benefits than when collaborating internally; existing processes can be made more efficient, as can the creation of new products and services. More important, a community that cares about the organization and what it does, is built through effective collaboration with customers and users.

Don Tapscott notes in Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, “There are always more smart people outside your enterprise boundaries than there are inside.”

Companies can channel the energy and expertise of customers’ through developing knowledge bases and maintaining frequently asked questions (FAQs). Regardless of how established a business’ support processes, users who have figured out a way to work around issues encountered can provide vital feedback.

In this respect, Wikis are a good platform, as they allow quick delivery of corrections and updates, while also supporting security and access at different levels of, for instance, partners vs. end users. Inclusion of their expertise into a knowledge base or listing of best practices will specifically be appreciated by partners. A marketplace for ‘partner-developed templates, widgets, or integrations could be created by extending this idea; there are already several vendors who support their partners in this type of approach.

This type of collaboration makes it both easier and cheaper for partners to find best practices and reusable tools, while it benefits the business in allowing an exchange of knowledge and information. By inviting users and partners to collaborate in this fashion, a very loyal community can be created.

Figure 1 Collaboration technology and tools, internal and external uses and means

Source: Aiim whitepaper – Jesse Wilkins

Technology	Internal	External
Blog	Internal Project updates Configuration updates	Project Organisation Notification of changes
Wiki	Project documentation Technical documentation FAQ/Knowledge base Contract drafting Presentation development	FAQ/Knowledge base (Wikipedia, LyricWiki)
RSS Feeds	Sales leads To-do Lists Lightweight integration with other systems and tools	Blog, Wiki updates Repurpose data from other systems and tools
Instant messaging	Bring in additional assistance for sales Technical support sales	Realtime updates Transactions
Calendaring	Schedule meetings View availability Schedule resources	Schedule meetings Synchronize calendars
Web-conferencing	Training Presentations to staff	Product demos Presentations to clients
Desktop sharing	Training Technical Support	Product Demos Technical Support
Presencing	Availability for collaboration using other methods, such as phone and in-person	Availability for collaboration using other methods, such as phone and in-person
Shared workspaces	Project documentation Research resources and references Document sharing	Product/service development and testing Document sharing
Chatrooms	Virtual meeting	Virtual meeting
Discussion Forums/ Bulletin Boards	Threaded discussion on particular topics	Comments or suggestion lists

The Industry’s Voice

When monitoring any kind of industry, a variety of reports are generated, ranging from overviews, to project details, meeting-actioned memos, emails, chats…all of these, in some form or the other, reflect the status of the industry in operation…in writing. Black on white, if not in actual ink, my personal choice is Ariel, and 10pt allows for more descriptive concept stating…I’m sure you understand and get the picture.

Personally, I write about service in operation, the industry’s voice, in all its facets and on all the different levels. The industry is huge…service consists of so many ideas, with so many interlinked levels on which these ideas are expressed. People who are recording, creating, and publishing content operate all the tentacles of this ‘information-web’, all of them offering service, in dealing with each other.

Which, for editing purposes, in writing about the monitoring process and its findings, involves many hours of sourcing, scanning, reading, analyses and publishing of best-in-practice content that represents a view of, and into, global and local markets.

Regardless of the type, or format of interaction, when it happens, service is an observable action yet, it cannot be measured, as it is not only intangible, it is also too varied. Thankfully, many people are specifically writing about the service process, giving me/us a look at their perception of service, as part of their position within a specific business sector, perhaps as part of being an educator, or as a researcher, etc… and, they know their topic, in general, if not specific. They also have experience in actual operations…on a variety of fronts, on interlinked levels and find themselves in the habit of jotting things down.

These ‘personal and weblogs’ writings speak loudly to those who monitor the industry’s content, as it soundboards the service industry, reflecting patterns of use, re-use, and eventual regurgitation of recycled topics, such as when the occasional, exceptional and insightful contributions, become an over-posted / quoted / extracted press release, sort of topical, kind of relevant etc.

Nevertheless, the accessible mix is exhaustive, to say the least. Mining and using this ‘database’ of information to create content is already stretching many companies tightly, as management try and either stay ahead and on top of what’s being written by contributing, or they employ / outsource full-time, content writers.

In the process of monitoring an industry’s voice

A picture emerges when one identifies topics of interest to the consumer, gathers all the writings on what service is, where it can be found, how the whole journey is discoverable, the technology that enables the customer to experience service (good / bad / irrelevant), recordings of someone’s thoughts

It is a magnificent process when you get busy with and in it…this monitoring. Moreover, to have the skills and ability, inclination, time, and passion, to actually write about it, as it happens…is no mean feat. Everyone who takes pen to paper (finger to keyboard) and assumes the responsibility of passing on information about service, contributes to building its picture by educating, sharing insights and new knowledge is to be applauded.

It is important though, to remember that service and customers/consumers/users are ‘joined at the hip’, in a manner of speaking. It does not matter which industry or sector of operations you are affiliated to through your employment, nor is it about any monetary value we can directly attribute to service (remember it is insubstantial / indefinable / indescribable / intangible).

Simply put, service, for everyone, and experienced by everyone, occurs at each point of interaction between us. As much as it is public, service, as experienced by consumers and providers, in my opinion, exists between every one, on all levels. The picture that has emerged, after almost six months of monitoring and research, is that of a bubbling, creative, innovative process, reflected in both ‘good and bad’ interactions that we are creating AND as a Wordsmith, for me the bonus is that we’re writing it down, informing and educating consumers, call centres and solutions providers.

What is your bonus?

Gish-gallop of information

Writing in the public arena comes with responsibility…regardless of the gish-gallop we have to wade through.

And this is not just aimed at bloggers – it is aimed at everyone. Corporate writers…listen up!

So you write ‘cos you get paid? And you spin it the way you’re told, in order for us readers to not understand just how many companies own each other, while seemingly in direct competition to and with each other?

Take the Apple vs Samsung ‘child’s play’, the bantering between little boys scenario they’re creating at the moment…so they’ll change the perception we have of them.

Bloody – brilliant, yes, kudos to the team who think-tanked this spin. However, when you consider that, should one of the 150 companies, who own the rest of the companies on the globe, crash, it could very well topple the little tower they’ve built. And because they hold the majority of whatever you need to survive on the planet, they’ll be ok…

And in the interim there’s the gish-gallop of information we are bombarded with, that we don’t question before reposting or even blogging about. Nobody seems to question the facts and for me, trained in old-school journalism basics, that’s a problem.

If you’re going to write about anything, to then publish it in the public space comes with a huge responsibility. I say huge because to me that’s a lot but you could call it gargantuan. The basics state very clearly that, in order to inform and educate you have to present the facts, from every point of view, in order to create a clear, factual, picture. Yes, words and pictures. When accurately investigated, researched and written down properly, your reader should be presented with as complete a picture as possibly of the actual event, person, happening and specifically, news.

The online information overload has muddied the water considerably, and I find very few investigative journalists, more bloggers than ever, and the ‘in-betweeners’, who click, and like, and share, and post, and re-blog, and like some more of whatever they’re fed. Being labelled as a conspiracy theorist may be what’s stopping many of my fellow authors, who do not comment; who absolutely use spellchecker or Grammarly; and who plod through too much information, looking for the facts, tracking the flow of money, investigating legal routes, sifting through the gish-gallop…after hours, mind you, nobody pays you for facts and investigations – unless you think so many cents per word can feed a freelancer.

As for those who blog, randomly post and share, without a thought as to the responsibility that comes with the dissemination of information, you are perceived to be fear-mongering and gossiping and perhaps, carrying the responsibility of these attributes will make you question the validity of the facts you are bandying about.

Reader, you also have a responsibility. If and when you do read ‘facts’ about whatever, dig a little deeper, question not just the facts, but their origin and accuracy. I would urge you to tell the authors to check their facts. I am fortunate to have a mentor who raps me on the knuckles when he finds me publicly penning or sharing stuff that’s not factual and accurate (excuse: gish-gallopping makes finding facts a little problematic). Being a friend though, he always includes the facts in the knuckle-rapping, still teaching and reminding me of the basics. Thanks Mike.

Talk, talk, talk...

Sometimes, when you least want to, you're confronted with a situation where you have to talk,and talk, and talk before you are able to action what you're talking about...and it's frustrating, infuriating and at times, debilitating.

In some of these situations the talking starts off with an explanation, then you have to answer questions because the explanation wasn't clearly understood, and then you have to expand on the explanation, when you realise your 'audience' still doesn't quite grasp what you've explained.

This is all good and well when talking to strangers, they don't know you, so can't be expected to understand where you're coming from. But when it's family and close friends, you have to ask yourself whether you are not being heard or understood, or are they who are listening, actually listening?

Good manners in conversation dictate that you first listen and then question or comment, but this 'etiquette' flies out the window with friends and family. There's interruptions, misunderstandings due to not listening to a full sentence or concept you are trying to put across, and pre-empting what you want to say, and my best...you don't have to say anything, they already know where the conversation is going.

Perhaps the solution is to simply stop talking, just do, no explanations, no conversations...no interaction - is this possible? I wonder...perhaps it should be tried and tested and if it works...bliss!

There's this thing that I do...it's called LIVING!

So true...the time thing. It's been more than six months since my last post, and my journey has twisted and turned in the most fascinating and enjoyable ways.

At first it meant going off-grid, into the mountains at Hogsback, and spending time reconnecting with nature. The harsh reality of seeing indigenous forests being 'invaded' by commercial tree plantations, was a most unwelcome intrusion though.

Wandering through the forests on the mountains at Hogsback, I learnt to recognise where young saplings were being removed so that locals could stay alive by carving walking sticks, other bric-a-brac and for making fires for cooking...the process means the forest does not have a chance to mature and the old trees are dying, with no young ones to replace them as they fall...our indigenous forests are in trouble!

I also saw a pack of hunting dogs, illegal but not mangy looking, and wondered at the life the dog handlers lead...similar practices are prevalent at home in the Transkei and I suppose, everywhere else in the rural parts of our country.

The difference in altitude meant the plant species were not at all like the ones at home, although some of the herbs and little wildflowers, found on the mountains in Port St Johns, also have a home on the Hogs.

The cottage where I stayed and cooked for a friend is set in a magnificent garden, and the property has a variety of fruit trees that are literally torn apart in the process of being ransacked by both baboons and Samanga monkeys, as they circle the area in search for food.

An online search and picking of people's brains, managed to get me a few different recipes for what to do with plums, and plum chutney, jams and jelly was all the rage while the season lasted. The fruit spoils rather quickly though, and needs a lot of sugar to satisfy my sweet tooth, but I even managed to gift some friends and family with a bottle or two.

At times, with tiny mushroom 'forests' sprouting at the edge of the verandah, or river frogs inhabiting the pond we completed, it felt as if I was living in the land of the faeries...with insects abounding, cicadas screeching their lovesongs and Loeries swooping in for a closer look at my leopard-crawling antics as I tried to capture wild bees burrowing in the lawn.

 

And just when the food gardens started to flourish and my hands almost got used to reconnecting with mother earth...a twist in the road appeared.

The retreat to Hogsback had to be cut short when I was invited to further my studies and do my Master's degree...an ongoing process, in which I will hopefully manage to find a way for thousands of Masters and Doctoral theses to be made more available to the public, so that dedicated student research can serve a better purpose than just gathering dust in a library.

Fact of the matter is though, that not all basic needs can be fulfilled by 'growing your own' and the commute between Hogsback, home in the Kei and Durban, in pursuit of 'making a living', certainly made for some interesting encounters and realities. Loads of new friends resulted and if you've ever wondered what to do with a little money and time on your hands...pick a spot somewhere in our beautiful country and then take a taxi or a bus, or several if the journey requires it, and make the journey! Believe me, on your way there and back, you are bound to meet people from all walks of life, with living experiences that are simply amazing, and when you take the time to listen to their stories, your life will be all the richer for it, and it does not have to cost an arm and a leg.

With still no electricity at home, and having recently been asked to write full-time for a web-portal as columnist, the last leg of my previous journey took me to Gauteng and brought an understanding of how to make better use of who I am and what I know and can do.

What I have gained will take some time writing down, but mostly I have reaffirmed that living is not written in stone, instead it lies in DOing and BEing all that I can, all that I am. It is no longer about finding a job or work...rather it is about making myself available and being open to where I can apply my skills and the work and jobs find me.

The shift in planetary energy is both invigorating and depressing...to say the least...and riding its tidal wave, is allowing me to experience the essence of a little song I made up for my children, so many years ago...

There's this thing that I do
it's called LIVING
There's this thing that I do
it's called LIFE

Just take a breath and see
it's easy as can be

There's this thing that I do
it's called LIFE!