Customer service and contact center
Customer service refers to the support organizations give customers after a purchase, and contact centers are the points where organizations can manage these interactions. Keep tabs on the evolution of customer service and contact center technologies and best practices to maintain service strategies properly.
Top Stories
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News
05 Apr 2024
Why Alphabet might acquire HubSpot: Data, data and more data
If Alphabet were to buy HubSpot, it would come with a hefty price when interest rates are high. Experts discuss what HubSpot assets might interest Google's parent company most. Continue Reading
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News
01 Apr 2024
AWS, Google release contact center GenAI tools
AWS releases contact center workforce management features and post-call summaries powered by GenAI; Google previews its own for Contact Center AI Platform. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Apr 2024
How to find the customer journey moments of truth
A moment of truth can turn a potentially positive experience into a negative one, and vice versa. Understanding moments of truth requires a complete knowledge of the customer journey. Continue Reading
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Opinion
28 Mar 2024
IT leaders curb GenAI enthusiasm at Enterprise Connect
IT leaders at Enterprise Connect expressed enthusiasm for GenAI experimentation in customer experience as well as circumspection that vendors should take on board. Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2024
Avaya simplifies contact center line, inks Zoom partnership
Zoom to work natively in Avaya hardware-software work collaboration environments; Avaya revamps contact center lineup to reflect changing CX landscape. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Mar 2024
18 real-world use cases of the metaverse, plus examples
Use cases for the still-developing metaverse are growing as the technologies that enable this next iteration of the internet mature. Here are 18 enterprise and consumer examples. Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
Talkdesk releases on-prem AI contact center automation suite
Contact center as a service users have a leg up on generative AI integrations because of the nature of cloud infrastructure, but on-premises customer service will get theirs. Continue Reading
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News
26 Mar 2024
Cisco releases Webex AI Assistant for office, contact center
Cisco brings AI Assistant for Webex to Enterprise Connect. Analysts break down the timing and potential for the new features available for office collaboration and contact center. Continue Reading
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News
22 Mar 2024
Salesforce Field Service users get generative AI helpers
Salesforce launches Einstein 1 Field Service Edition. Field technicians get a generative AI boost to help navigate through scheduling and technical content. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Mar 2024
How AI is transforming the BPO industry and contact centers
Everyone is talking about AI, but which organizations are adopting it? BPOs are a great example, especially AI for internal CX strategies and contact centers. Continue Reading
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News
13 Mar 2024
Zendesk to acquire AI customer service bot startup Ultimate
Zendesk continues its acquisition spree with plans to buy partner Ultimate, making way for more straightforward integration of virtual agents. Continue Reading
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News
21 Feb 2024
GenAI chatbots for customer care create new level of liability
Air Canada found liable for promises its chatbot made against the airline's policy; CX leaders discuss best practices for using generative AI in chatbots. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Feb 2024
What does a knowledge manager do?
Knowledge managers use technical skills to maintain knowledge base software and interpersonal skills to encourage employees to share best practices with each other. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jan 2024
Field service management software vendors to know in 2024
The world of hybrid work turned nice-to-have field service features -- like remote project management and automation -- into vital capabilities. Learn which features vendors offer. Continue Reading
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Opinion
30 Jan 2024
How contact center modernization plays into AI strategies
Contact center workers want to work in different ways, so more leaders are experimenting with GenAI. ESG research explores the maturity of contact center tech. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jan 2024
Pegasystems unveils AI assistant for knowledge management
The workflow automation vendor aims to simplify informational querying processes with an iterative conversational interface that can automatically search all data sources. Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Jan 2024
conversational AI (conversational artificial intelligence)
Conversational AI (conversational artificial intelligence) is a type of AI that enables computers to understand, process and generate human language. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jan 2024
4 ways to support contact center calling redundancy
Cloud-based unified communications systems offer more reliability, but that doesn't mean they're immune from system failures. Learn how to safeguard your contact centers. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2024
Zendesk acquires Klaus for AI-backed quality assurance in CX
The customer service vendor acquires the vendor to build out its workforce management capabilities and bring a more integrated experience for users with both applications. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Dec 2023
The future of field service management and trends
Contactless, cashless and self-service abilities remain standards for field service. The future will bring more flexibility and convenience for workers and customers. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 Dec 2023
Overview of RingCentral's RingCX AI-powered CCaaS platform
RingCentral's new contact center-as-a-service offering, RingCX, is poised to shake up the CCaaS market. Explore its benefits and features to see if it works for your organization. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Dec 2023
5 important contact center AI features and their benefits
The most important contact center advancements will revolve around AI. Examine the use of AI technology in the contact center and the benefits these features deliver. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Dec 2023
In 2023, generative AI made inroads in customer service
This year saw the rise of new intelligent capabilities for contact centers to support human and virtual agents in their abilities to deliver effective answers and services faster. Continue Reading
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News
28 Nov 2023
AWS Amazon Connect adds generative AI for the contact center
The tech giant unveils generative AI capabilities, reminding CX competitors that it has a long history with conversational AI and can offer many intelligent customer service tools. Continue Reading
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News
27 Nov 2023
AWS' remote work gambit: Amazon WorkSpaces Thin Client
AWS rolls out a computer in a Fire TV Cube box. The $195 device gives enterprises an inexpensive end-user hardware option for remote workers and promises tighter data security. Continue Reading
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News
15 Nov 2023
Microsoft adds more AI tools to Copilot for Sales, Service
The new capabilities let sales and service teams access customer information from apps such as a knowledge base or CRM system using natural language prompts in Microsoft platforms. Continue Reading
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News
08 Nov 2023
Zendesk unveils tools for agents to improve customer service
The customer service and CRM vendor unveiled no-code tools, including a layout builder to let teams customize agent interfaces for specific roles and workflows. Continue Reading
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Definition
02 Nov 2023
high-touch customer service
High-touch customer service is a category of contact center interaction that requires human interaction. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Oct 2023
6 key roles in a knowledge management team
Many organizations form dedicated teams to implement and maintain their knowledge management programs. Key roles include KM specialist, IT professional and knowledge champion. Continue Reading
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News
25 Oct 2023
SAP broadens CX offerings with new AI tools for Joule
The ERP software vendor brings AI-based tools to strengthen identity and data security as well as end-to-end personalization to highlight its customer experience offerings. Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Oct 2023
customer effort score (CES)
Customer effort score (CES) is a system for evaluating how much effort is required on the part of a customer to achieve satisfaction in their experience with a company. Continue Reading
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News
24 Oct 2023
Cisco unveils Webex AI tools for hybrid work, contact center
The vendor's new Webex AI offerings include Real-Time Media Models to track users' voices and movements and Webex AI Assistant tools for making, altering and suggesting messages. Continue Reading
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Definition
24 Oct 2023
360-degree customer view
The 360-degree customer view is a comprehensive approach to understanding customers by compiling their individual data from various touchpoints into a single view. Continue Reading
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News
16 Oct 2023
Talkdesk expands its AI offerings for the contact center
The cloud-based contact center provider adds more tools to monitor large language model-supported capabilities, which are becoming commonplace offerings for CX vendors. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Oct 2023
How generative AI can improve knowledge management
With generative AI, knowledge management teams can automate knowledge capture and maintenance processes. Explore how AI can improve knowledge management. Continue Reading
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Podcast
10 Oct 2023
CX and generative AI coexisting, carefully
Tech journalist Don Fluckinger talks to the Targeting AI podcast team about generative AI's potential for better customer service and how the technology falls short. Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2023
Zendesk offers more AI tech with AI for Voice, AI bots
The customer experience vendor released intelligent bots to quickly answer customers' questions and unveiled a tool to summarize transcripts of customer calls with agents. Continue Reading
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News
26 Sep 2023
SurveyMonkey Forms has new templates, pre-built prompts
The vendor brings new capabilities such as pre-built question fields with Forms, an online form creation tool, to make it easier for businesses to collect data from customers. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Sep 2023
How to reduce customer service costs
As organizations adjust to today's economy, CX managers should implement new technologies and strategies to reduce customer service costs without sacrificing quality. Continue Reading
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News
18 Sep 2023
Zoom releases work management tools for the contact center
The video conferencing vendor expands its CCaaS offerings with its Workforce Engagement Management suite, which includes forecasting and scheduling tools for agents and managers. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2023
omnichannel
Omnichannel -- also spelled omni-channel -- is an approach to sales, marketing and customer support that seeks to provide customers with a seamless and unified brand experience, regardless of which channel they use. Continue Reading
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Guest Post
07 Sep 2023
How AI can benefit CX and customer service
If you mix AI into your customer service strategy, you're more likely to keep customers satisfied and employees efficient. Check out three uses for AI in customer service. Continue Reading
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News
31 Aug 2023
8x8 releases conversational AI tools for the contact center
The cloud-based UC vendor releases voice technology to enable CX workers to connect self-service and agent-assisted workflows and receive conversation context from voicebots. Continue Reading
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Definition
31 Aug 2023
virtual agent
A virtual agent -- sometimes called an intelligent virtual agent, virtual rep or chatbot -- is a software program that uses scripted rules and, increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI) applications to provide automated service or guidance to humans. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Aug 2023
customer satisfaction (CSAT)
Customer satisfaction (CSAT) is a measure of the degree to which a product or service meets customer expectations. Continue Reading
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News
24 Aug 2023
Salesforce unveils new tools for field service workers
The CRM vendor's new tools for service workers include a virtual appointment scheduler and a platform to view details about customers' purchased products and service history. Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2023
Twilio's new CDP tool unites data for more personalization
Twilio's new tool uses its customer data platform, Segment, to connect real-time unified customer profiles with isolated data and boost marketing customization for better CX. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Aug 2023
Genesys offers workforce management tool to measure EX
A contact center management firm uses a Genesys tool that collects information about employees' experience to uncover organizational weaknesses and identify ways to improve. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Aug 2023
Customer communications management key to CX success
Companies of all sizes are using the latest tech such as generative AI, online store apps, and collaboration tools like video calling to improve CX for B2B and B2C businesses. Continue Reading
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Definition
08 Aug 2023
multichannel marketing
Multichannel marketing refers to the practice of companies interacting with customers via multiple channels, both direct and indirect, to sell them goods and services. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Aug 2023
Banks aim to improve customer experience for users online
Tactics to increase digital interactions include improving contact center tools, prioritizing UX design and merging digital capabilities with real-time human service. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Aug 2023
Customer experience strategy: 5 tips to build a valuable CX
The best CX strategy should provide value to both the customer and the business. However, it requires support from leadership and significant investments in technology. Continue Reading
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Answer
03 Aug 2023
How to enable a Teams-contact center integration
Explore the three ways Microsoft supports integrating a contact center with Teams to enable more advanced calling and collaboration features for agents. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jul 2023
7 account-based marketing tactics for your business
You can grow business revenue through an effective ABM strategy the complements lead-generation efforts. Here are 7 tactics to make your ABM program effective. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jul 2023
What does a knowledge champion do?
Knowledge champions use communication and leadership skills to encourage their department or group members to adopt knowledge management best practices. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Jul 2023
Customer experience vs. customer service: How do they differ?
Customer experience and customer service are not the same, but they do have a shared goal: to ensure customers are satisfied and return for repeat business. Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Jul 2023
Meta's Threads erupts as potential customer service channel
Threads may or may not be a Twitter-killer, but if 100 million people signed up for it in its first five days, your customer service team should consider supporting it -- and fast. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jul 2023
Qualtrics uses AI to analyze customer needs for better CX
Qualtrics unveils new generative AI tools to minimize time spent searching for and disseminating customer feedback and creating text responses to increase brand loyalty. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jul 2023
7 tips for creating a knowledge base
A knowledge base offers self-service for customers and employees. Organizations can collect feedback and build a culture of knowledge sharing to create an effective knowledge base. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Jul 2023
quality of experience (QoE or QoX)
Quality of experience (QoE or QoX) is a measure of the overall level of a customer's satisfaction and experience with a product or service and the vendor that's providing that product or service. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jul 2023
Genesys Cloud CX gets FedRAMP certified for government use
The CX vendor obtained Moderate Impact level authorization for its Genesys Cloud CX platform, bolstering security and safeguarding internal operations for U.S. government users. Continue Reading
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Feature
06 Jul 2023
RingCentral healthcare mends health center's phone system
Consolidating phone systems enabled Sun River Health to provide flexibility to clinical staff, expand reporting in its call center and improve the patient experience. Continue Reading
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News
30 Jun 2023
Salesforce brings more AI tools to Sales GPT and Service GPT
The CRM giant brings generative AI-supported tools like message creation and call summaries to sales and service workers, and teams with Deloitte Digital for AI safety resources. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Jun 2023
Is it time to automate customer satisfaction surveys?
With automated customer surveys, organizations can get data in real time to improve their marketing, sales and customer service strategies. And AI's role is still growing. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jun 2023
4 knowledge base article templates
Knowledge bases can improve CX and employee productivity, but organizations may not know where to start. Discover four templates to help teams write knowledge base articles. Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 Jun 2023
Monitor generative AI in customer experiences -- or else
As marketers and customer service leaders deploy generative AI tools that tech vendors are rapidly commercializing, they should monitor U.S. FTC guidance. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Jun 2023
UCaaS vs. CCaaS vs. CPaaS: What's the difference?
It can be difficult to make sense of popular cloud communications service models. Compare UCaaS vs. CCaaS vs. CPaaS to understand their differences and how they can be used together. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Jun 2023
How to calculate call center utilization rates
Customer service leaders use metrics like call center utilization rates to track performance and CX. Leadership must learn the effects of these rates and how to calculate them. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Jun 2023
4 important skills of a knowledge management leader
KM programs need a leader who can motivate employees to change their routines. This leader needs a long-term mindset and the ability to translate KM ideas into business language. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 May 2023
What does a knowledge management leader do?
Knowledge management teams often include IT professionals and content writers. But at the head, they need a central leader to make connections and guide people. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 May 2023
6 risks of ChatGPT in customer service
Despite ChatGPT's customer service benefits, organizations must understand the technology's risks, such as fabricated information, bias and security concerns. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 May 2023
What are the different types of SMS marketing?
How should marketers text their audiences? First, ensure customers opted in to receive texts. Then, promote, incentivize and update customers on products and orders. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 May 2023
CPaaS brings cloud contact center features to on premises
Organizations with on-premises contact centers don't need to make a full cloud migration to modernize their systems. CPaaS can enable cloud features and drive key business metrics. Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2023
Zoom takes on Anthropic's AI assistant for Contact Center
The video and collaboration platform vendor has allied with OpenAI spinoff Anthropic and is integrating Anthropic's chatbot, Claude, for a decentralized approach to training AI. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 May 2023
What are the benefits of a knowledge base?
As a knowledge base lets customers and employees quickly find answers, it can boost an organization's customer satisfaction score and overall efficiency. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 May 2023
speech analytics
Speech analytics is the process of analyzing voice recordings or live customer calls to contact centers with speech recognition software to find useful information and provide quality assurance. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 May 2023
How to build a WordPress knowledge base
A knowledge base lets customers quickly find answers to their questions, which benefits CX. Organizations can use WordPress plugins and themes to build their own knowledge bases. Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2023
Zendesk out with generative AI-supported tools for better CX
In partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, the customer service vendor introduces smart CX tools such as sentiment analysis for faster workflows and bots for contextual replies. Continue Reading
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News
03 May 2023
Salesforce brings GPT to customer service, sales platforms
The CRM giant brings generative AI capabilities to its sales and service platforms for fast, relevant email, message and article creation, as well as multilanguage transcription. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 May 2023
customer data management (CDM)
Customer data management (CDM) is a set of administrative processes that allow data about customers and customer interactions from different source systems to be aggregated and normalized. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 May 2023
cold calling
Cold calling is the business practice of contacting a potential customer or client who has not expressed previous interest in speaking with a customer service representative or making a purchase. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Apr 2023
How to use ChatGPT for customer service
Customer service teams can use ChatGPT to automate tasks, generate responses to customer inquiries, summarize email threads and power human-like chatbots. Continue Reading
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Opinion
27 Apr 2023
Customer service drives retention, operational efficiency
In times like these, organizations often prioritize and invest in service and support, as they need technology that helps retain customers. New data shows it is happening again. Continue Reading
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Infographic
25 Apr 2023
The evolution of chatbots and generative AI
Customer service chatbots have evolved to include advanced NLP. The three evolutionary chatbot stages include basic chatbots, conversational agents and generative AI. Continue Reading
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News
25 Apr 2023
Salesforce brings Einstein GPT to Field Service Mobile
The CRM giant harnesses generative AI to let Field Service Mobile users create drafts and discuss customer problems on Slack and help them find self-service tools. Continue Reading
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Definition
17 Apr 2023
outbound call
An outbound call is one initiated by a call center agent to a customer on behalf of a call center or client. Continue Reading
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News
14 Apr 2023
Zendesk teams with OpenAI for new AI-backed CX tools
The CX giant's partnership with OpenAI brings new tools to help CX personnel summarize content, create knowledge bases and macros, and quickly compose ticket responses. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Apr 2023
6 customer success plan templates for common situations
Customer success teams can follow the same general processes to onboard, renew or offboard customers. These templates can help shape those outreach strategies. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Apr 2023
Top 8 knowledge base products in 2023
A knowledge base can help organizations increase brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. Top knowledge base products include Heroic KB, ProProfs and ServiceNow. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Apr 2023
AI takes center stage in the future of contact centers
Generative AI has disrupted the technology world, and contact center vendors are already looking to add it to products. Here's what AI in contact centers could mean for agents. Continue Reading
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Opinion
29 Mar 2023
How generative AI will sink or swim in customer service
Generative AI may have captured the tech world's mindshare, but it will have to be commercialized well for customer service applications in the contact center. Continue Reading
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News
28 Mar 2023
Cisco updates Webex and RoomOS for better video views
The digital communications vendor injects virtual conferencing tech with higher-resolution video, enhanced user detection and AI-backed chat summary features. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Mar 2023
8 customer success software platforms to consider
Proper customer success requires the right tools to keep customers satisfied. Here, dive into eight popular platforms on the market, including their features and benefits. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Mar 2023
Enterprise Connect 2023 highlights Microsoft Teams, ChatGPT
The annual unified communications conference once again spotlights current and future industry trends as IT leaders weigh their business and technology investments. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Mar 2023
7 customer success best practices
Customer success aims to ensure a positive CX after the sales process is complete. These best practices can help teams stay on track and keep customers satisfied. Continue Reading
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News
08 Mar 2023
Qualtrics' customer experience tools enter rage-filled times
Qualtrics rolls out new customer experience tools while it ponders a buyout from Silver Lake, a private equity firm. Continue Reading
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News
06 Mar 2023
Microsoft's new Dynamics 365 Copilot uses generative AI
Copilot accelerates routine tasks for marketing and sales teams like creating email responses and collecting customer insight data, intensifying the AI race in CRM software. Continue Reading
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News
01 Mar 2023
Generative AI-supported tools coming from Pegasystems
CRM platform Pega Infinity will incorporate artificial intelligence language tools for quicker task management, insight visualization and app development. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Feb 2023
Customer success vs. customer support: What's the difference?
Customer support and customer success sound similar, but they're distinct business practices. Differences include approach, metrics, maturity and skills. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Feb 2023
Salesforce Customer 360
Salesforce Customer 360 is a collection of tools that connect Salesforce apps and create a unified customer ID to build a single view of the customer. Continue Reading
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News
24 Feb 2023
CRM titan Salesforce is squeezed in a competitive market
CRM and CX giant Salesforce is plagued by an activist investor, slower business growth and pressure to increase profit margins with layoffs as the CRM market gets more competitive. Continue Reading
