Is your company ready for the online holiday rush?  Here is a summary of several issues to consider that appeared in a recent article by Cindy Waxer for InsideCRM, Ho-Ho-Hold on to Your Customers:

With the number of online retail sales expected to grow to a whopping $271.6 billion by the year 2011, companies simply can’t afford to fall out of favor with their Web shoppers. Here’s what businesses need to bear in mind as they strive to keep their customers happy during the holiday crunch:

Manage your inventory. “Adequate inventory is something e-tailers can have difficulties with if they experience a spike in demand,” warned Michelle Warren, a senior research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group.

Keep tabs on your technology. Unanticipated spikes in online traffic can send an e-tailer’s servers crashing — and Web shoppers running elsewhere. For this reason, Warren advised to “consider working with your solution provider to ensure that you have the right amount of technology in place.”

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Here are several excerpts from an article by Barney Beal, News Director with SearchCRM.com, Poor Customer Service, Not Price, is Driving Customer Churn:

The notion that customer service is imperative in a recession got a major boost from a recent study by Accenture.

The New York-based consulting and services firm surveyed more than 4,100 consumers over the summer and found that service — more than price — is a clear differentiator.

According to the online survey, 67% of respondents reported switching companies because of poor customer service, compared with 59% last year. U.S. respondents were even more service sensitive, with 73% reporting that they switched companies owing to poor customer service, compared with 47% switching over lower prices. All indications are that the importance of customer service is only growing. Four years ago, when Accenture first began conducting the annual study, only 48% of respondents said they were switching businesses because of customer service.

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Here are several excerpts from a press release about the findings from a recent study on customer service satisfaction, Customer Service, Not Price, Remains Top Cause of Customer Churn:

Service again ranked above price as a global driver of customer churn, according to Accenture’s fourth annual study on customer service satisfaction, titled “High Performance in the Age of Customer Centricity.”

In total, two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents reported moving their business to other companies as a result of poor service in a variety of industry sectors, up from 59 percent of respondents in last year’s survey. Underscoring the sharp increase in consumers switching business providers is an overall erosion of customer loyalty.

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I recently came across a web site that can be a valuable resource for advice, CanDoGo. The following quote from the web site explains what it’s all about:

“CanDoGo is packed full of timely “how to” sales, personal development and motivational advice that answers your questions to help you overcome immediate business challenges. With a true expert community you will set yourself apart every day with CanDoGo at your fingertips. Get concise CanDoGo Insights in video, audio and text formats!”

With categories such as Marketing, Sales Basic, Prospecting, Qualifying, Customer Service and many more, this site is obviously targeted to people who have direct contact with prospects during the pre-sales process and who assist existing customers with service and support processes.

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Here is such a relevant article by Brendan B. Read, Senior Contributing Editor with TMCnet, that I’ve posted it in it’s entirety, Be Prepared For Gen-Y Customer Service:

Generation Y: those born between 1980 and 2000 are here, as customers and as contact center agents, and that has major impacts and implications for customer service.

The Gen-Yers, numbering 70 million in the U.S., are the replacements for the now-retiring and fading Baby Boom generation, from whom they are descended. They are also known as the ‘Baby Boom Echo. Their ranks are nearly twice as large as Gen-X, which are those individuals born between 1964 and 1980.

Bill Durr, Principal, Global Market Consultant, Verint Witness Actionable Solutions, points to several key characteristics of Gen-Y that will affect contact center customer service and CRM strategies…

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