Use Web Self-Service or ELSE: Walmart.com Customer Service Line Goes Unlisted

When the tech industry took a dive in 2001 and companies began making huge cuts to their service operations, I was quoted in a press interview calling this “the death of the service industry.”  The line was picked up by a wire service, and complaints starting rolling in from companies saying I was far too [...]

Preview Briefing: Numara FootPrints 8

I had an update call with Numara Software today as they gear up for the launch of Numara FootPrints 8, and saw a sneak preview of the new version that’s planned for release at the end of this month.  Numara FootPrints is a 100% Web based solution for IT service desks and customer support, encompassing incident, [...]

Member and Partner FAQs on Web Chat

I had a partner inquiry about Web chat today, and thought that my reply may be useful to others interested in the adoption of Web chat by consumers and technology companies.  So here is an edited version for your perusal.
Which industries use chat? 
Based on survey data, Web Chat is not the first channel people of [...]

Live from Dreamforce 2007

I’m in San Francisco for Salesforce.com’s 5th annual user conference, Dreamforce.  This is a huge event:  over 7,000 attendees from 42 countries, and 200+ breakout sessions, held in the behemoth Moscone Center.
Salesforce.com CEO Mark Benioff opened the event with his usual 2 hour keynote, filled with product announcements and cameos from some big-name customers.  Mark [...]

SupportSpace Harnesses Community Experts for 3rd Party Tech Support

I had a fun update call with SupportSpace yesterday, and I am more convinced than ever that this is truly the future for consumer support:  neutral third parties.  SupportSpace, which offers tech support services for PCs and peripherals for consumers, just had their soft launch with 40 expert agents, and have logged over 1500 support sessions so [...]

Preview: Fall SSPA Recognized Innovator Awards

Several SSPA members and partners have emailed asking for updates on the upcoming Recognized Innovator Awards, and asking about the categories.  The Recognized Innovator Awards program is my favorite job function, and with our Fall Leadership Conference just 2 weeks away, I will take this opportunity to give a preview of the awards.
My tagline for the awards program [...]