Mary Cook

Cloud computing is a groundbreaking technology that has made possible the provision of computing as a service, as opposed to a product. 

This can be described with the help of an example that has become somewhat cliché, but is nonetheless a fairly good one - especially when it comes to explaining to a newbie the concept of Cloud computing.

In Cloud computing, software, information, shared resources, etc., are provided to end users in a manner similar to that utilized by utility companies to provide a utility (e.g., electricity) to their consumers. A network (usually the internet) is used for this purpose in a fashion resembling an electricity grid.

Applications are made available for access by the Cloud computing providers through internet. It should be noted that the software and data is stored at, and is retrievable from, a remote location. Therefore, these applications can be accessed through desktop PCs,...

It’s that special time of year again, the 4^th quarter. The quarter all of us call center, customer care and experience professionals live (and die) for. While many of us this past Thanksgiving planned out our shopping trips like the covert PMP multi-media-centric individuals we are (ok, perhaps it was just me…), my beloved and brethren customer service professionals were busy working. Whether they were in their retail stores, calculating their cloud storage to support their digital customers, or re-calculating their 15 minute interval call center staffing plans – the madness of the Holiday season has officially begun. So in honor of this most wonderful time of year (where as a call center professional you are guaranteed to catch bronchitis at least once from over working yourself amongst a set of snotty-nosed CSRs – and I say that with love – I buy Kleenex in bulk), I share with you some of my favorite 4^th quarter meltdowns....

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”...

Where is customer communication headed? [1]

It is clearly becoming individualized. This isn't new.

We've talked about relevancy in one‐to‐one communication for years, but talking about it and making it real are two very different things.  Now it is not just becoming real; it is becoming an expectation. Companies that don’t segment their customers (or can't do so because they are siloed either by organizational structure, the way they have aligned their different communications channels, or even by just their beliefs or mindsets) consequently will have a fragmented view of the customer and will be unable to entertain a coherent conversation.

It is happening in Real Time.

The reality is that technology has fostered this need for...