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Summer Update from CCA's Executive Chair

Leaders in the CCA network understand that delivering exceptional service is essential for building strong customer relationships. However, organisational politics can distract and erode trust among customers and employees.]]]

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Great expectations.... or not?

I've lost count of the number of times the phrase 'rising customer expectations' is the basis for presentations over the last couple of decades. It's a kind of given, following the logic that as technology and science gallops forward, coupled with our inc

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KISS (Keep it simple, stupid)

'Keep it simple, stupid' or KISS has become one of the most popular maxims of modern business and political leaders - though many struggle to live up to it. Adopted by the US Navy in 1960, KISS enshrines the principle that most systems work best if t...

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Turn off, tune in

If you have ever sat in the ‘quiet coach’ of a train you may have a sneaking admiration for Francoise Hollande’s decision to ban mobile phones from French cabinet meetings. With the French economy struggling, the President decided t...

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Tipping Point?

Some say you have to look back to look forward and as this year marks the 20th anniversary of CCA Convention, I’ve been taking a look back at 20 years of critical customer service topics we’ve addressed. Several factors emerge as peren...

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Information stakes

One of the most moving and shocking scenes on television news this week was surely that of the relatives of passengers from missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370, being forcibly removed from a press conference, screaming and crying. As the mystery ove...

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New talent contest

If you’ve felt like exploding with rage recently, be careful you don’t bring on a heart attack. New research by Harvard School of Public Health found that getting angry can increase your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke by up to...

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Virtually human

If you watch the Oscars this weekend, look out for the Spike Jonze movie 'Her' for a vision of what could be the ultimate customer service of the future, with technology trumping humans at knowing what we want and delivering it faultlessly every time...

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Going for a gold standard

To the untrained eye watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi, some sporting events appear more complex, more tactical or more skillful than others, prompting debate over whether some gold medals are harder won than others. A common joke is that the ...

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Time to 'Lean In'?

A recurrent theme throughout the body of CCA research is a persistent gap between boardroom rhetoric on the importance of listening to the voice of the customer and the reality, which is that customers’ views are often poorly understood or igno...

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When hell freezes over

Sometimes a single image powerfully sums up an extraordinary situation in an uniquely memorable way - this week it was a picture of an ice-encrusted sign at the entrance to the tiny snowbound hamlet of Hell in Michigan state. With North America in th...

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The best of times, the worst of times

Charles Dickens’ novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ contains perhaps the most famous opening lines in English literature: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” As we come to the close of the year and begin t...

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Christmas hotline

Only five days to go before most of us will be tucking into our turkey and enjoying the fun of the festive season with friends and family. In the middle of the jollity, we should doff our party hats to dedicated contact centre workers everywhere who ...

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Real time reality check

One of the dominant themes that emerged at Convention is that delivering speedy service is no longer enough - the new challenge is meeting customer needs in real-time. Presentations from six leading service organisations confirmed that the speed ...

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A time for change

I hope you all had a Happy Halloween, steered clear of the ghouls and ghosties and enjoyed more treats than tricks. Autumn is a season of change, when shadows at dusk can trick you into thinking that something you glimpse on the horizon is someth...

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Automatic for the people

If there is one issue guaranteed to polarise opinion it is the question of whether the buzzword for the future of customer service is personalisation or automation. It certainly galvanised conversation at a great event I attended in London this week ...

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Chilly tones

Are you feeling an autumn chill yet? If so, you are probably thinking of switching on the central heating - but the prospect of a sharp rise in energy prices next month may persuade you to reach for a sweater instead. Unless you were out of the co...

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Being Human

Amid a drive for automation and efficiency in contact centres, it is heartening to see examples of organisations that value the importance of the human voice when it comes to dealing with customers in distress. The latest TV ad from insurance compan...

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Old School, New World

The opening of the new £189 million Birmingham Library this week showcased a great example of a successful marriage between old school ways of learning and the new digital world. It houses one million books alongside digital information screens...

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