Support Infrastructure posts, articles, and infographics

Do You Have The Pieces, Parts, Or A Working System?

January 15, 2012 by Dave Brock
with 33 views

Photo by RapidRepair.com via author's blog

Take a look at the two pictures below (courtesy of RapidRepair.com). In one sense they are exactly the same. Both are pictures of the Apple iPhone 4s. One shows the iPhone as a set of parts and pieces. The other shows an assembled iPhone 4S.. You know the next question, “What’t the difference... [read more]

The 'End' of Email: Reflections from a Digital Era Thinker

December 14, 2011 by Courtney Hunt
with 97 views

It’s probably unfortunate that terms like social business, social enterprise, and social intranet have emerged to describe the application of 2.0 technologies inside organizations. Many people interpret words like “social” and “chat” to indicate frivolity, shallowness, time wasting and a lack of professionalism. [read more]

Tech Gadget Lovers!! The gdgt Event is Free to Attend

October 25, 2011 by DrNatalie Petouhoff
with 35 views

Photo: Nate Grigg/Flickr (Creative Commons)

If you are a gadget lover, there’s a show coming to town! gdgt who will be in Los Angeles on Friday, Oct 28th. The event is free, so hurry and register before it hits capacity! The gdgt Live in LA will showcase some of the hottest new tech around, from companies like AT&T, HTC, Lenovo, Logitech, Olympus, T-Mobile, Western... [read more]

Knowledge Insight Means Big Money in Customer Service

October 4, 2011 by Ed Shepherdson
with 84 views

As a rule of thumb in customer service, financial models show that any ticket not resolved quickly – due to lack of insight – will see its cost roughly triple. When you factor in research time to gain insight, contact and context re-establishment time, having to bring other people into the mix to resolve a problem, escalation time... [read more]

New Infographic: The Brandsphere by Brian Solis and JESS3

August 22, 2011 by Brian Solis
with 102 views

Social networks and channels present brands with a broad array of media opportunities to engage customers and those who influence them. Each channel offers a unique formula for engagement where brands become stories and people become storyteller [read more]

The Business Software Decision Power Shift

August 9, 2011 by Peter Auditore
with 149 views

It wasn’t too long ago that I wrote about the odd couple in a metaphor where Felix was the neat and organized IT guy who didn’t want to change anything and Oscar was the messy line of business guy. Well guess what Oscar has now taken over as the purchase decision making power of information technology products and services has moved away from CIOs to line of business and CFOs. [read more]

Customer-Centricity and The Kings of Big Data -- What They Collect About You

June 13, 2011 by Peter Auditore
with 356 views

Big Data was the focus of a recent Economist conference that attempted to bring some sense into how we manage data and how it impacts business, government and our own lives. What Google, MasterCard, AT&T, Verizon, Amazon, the CIA, FBI, and more are collecting. [read more]

Five Social Media Tools that I use Every Day

April 29, 2011 by Debra Ellis
with 460 views

Participating in social media is extremely time consuming. I’m often asked how I work with clients when I’m online all the time. The answer is simple. I’m not online all of the time. It only looks like I am. Shared content tweets are scheduled in advance. Tools help me monitor community participation so I can respond in a timely... [read more]

The Times They Are A’Changin, and We Better Get Used to It

March 22, 2011 by Christine Hertzog
with 105 views

Technology is easy, change is hard. It doesn’t matter if it’s individual or systemic change – it is more difficult to modify human attitudes and behaviors than invent disruptive, game-changing technologies or services. Keep this in mind as we confront hard realities and harder decisions. Nuclear meltdown in Japan,... [read more]

Why Social Media is Disruptive

February 8, 2011 by Shawn Santos
with 1,477 views

Everyone loves good data, right? When I was asked for my thoughts on how social media is disruptive to technology companies, I dug up some of the most compelling data I could find that illustrates social media's impact on companies and their customers. [read more]

Choosing to be Human and Helpful on Twitter

February 3, 2011 by Jon Thomas
with 223 views

We all make choices every day – what clothes to wear, what lane to drive in, what to have for lunch. Our decisions happen in all aspects of our lives, thousands of times per day. Sometimes one of these small, seemingly insignificant decisions can make a huge impact. I’m fairly active on Twitter. I’ve spent enough time on the platform to... [read more]

Five Predictions for Social Media in Customer Service

January 27, 2011 by Shawn Santos
with 3,253 views

When is the last time anything included in your multichannel strategy won a Golden Globe Award? That’s right—never. And although 2010 won’t be remembered as a banner year much, the accolades given to The Social Network at the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards has only reinforced social media’s place in the cultural zeitgeist. So what will be happening at the intersection of social media and tech services in 2011? Read on as Santos delivers his top five predictions. [read more]

Collaboration in the Supply Chain, Where is it?

January 7, 2011 by Jacob Morgan
with 296 views

My previous (and first) post on social supply chain management was surprisingly popular so I thought I’d continue with that topic and talk about something that I learned (and am continuing to learn) thanks to Trevor Miles. Again, keep in mind I’m no supply chain expert like Trevor but we’re both very interested in how social media... [read more]

In Social Media, Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail

January 6, 2011 by Brian Solis
with 889 views

I’ve received a series of inbound requests for comments based on a report from Gartner, an IT analyst firm, that estimates as many as 70-percent of social media campaigns will fail in 2011. There are a series of discussions hitting the blogosphere and the Twitterverse exploring this very topic, some elementary and others on the right... [read more]

January 24 Celebrates the Original Social Customer Advocates

December 20, 2010 by Frank Eliason
with 361 views

Many think of social Customer Service as starting with Twitter, but that is far from the start. In the early days of the net, news groups started as a place for like minded people to discuss products, technology, or other items they were passionate about. Over time these gave way to forums and email groups. As companies... [read more]

Customer Service In A Hyper-Social World

November 13, 2010 by Maria Ogneva
with 3,230 views

Photo source: Kate Hazard

People talk about social support like it’s something new. Well, it is, and it isn’t. What remains constant is that service has always been a cornerstone of a positive brand experience – or at least it should have been. What’s changed is that we are now seeking and providing service in new channels and with new expectations as far as how it needs to work. The business fundamentals of a service-oriented organization remain unchanged to a certain extent. If you are providing customer service, regardless of the channel, you need to understand how support affects and is affected by other areas in the organization. [read more]

8 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Biz

August 24, 2010 by John Moore
with 634 views

In the world of startups, success or failure can be hard to consistently predict. One thing that’s sure, however, is that anyone who starts a business is changed by the process. The continual challenges of meeting the opportunities and issues that arise make it fun and always interesting. I think it is why many people continue to... [read more]

Bringing Real-time Collaboration Into CRM

August 17, 2010 by Mike Boysen
with 667 views

A long time ago, really long time ago, when networked, multi-user CRM became a reality, we all thought it was so cool that we could see a meeting, or a To-do, or an Email that was created or acted upon by someone else. And so the story goes for nearly 20 years. Fast forward to today. Never mind, it’s the same old same old. Without... [read more]

The Odd Couple: Aligning Business and IT

August 12, 2010 by Peter Auditore
with 1,137 views

At the heart of this dilemma is the odd couple, Felix Unger (Tony Randall) the IT guy who is motivated by structure and order and Oscar Madison (Jack Klugman) the LOB manager who is somewhat chaotic but business driven. For those that don’t remember, Felix was a TV writer and Oscar a sports editor both recently divorced, they shared a... [read more]

Most technology companies are still confused by Social Business

August 10, 2010 by John Moore
with 1,117 views

Wildfire PR recently released the results of research they performed with the top 50 companies in the 2009 Deloitte Fast Tech; a list of the fastest growing technology companies in the UK. The research, focused on the use of social media by these companies, highlight the fact that most companies are leveraging social... [read more]