Source: The Qmatic Blog

The brick and mortar store long stood as the paragon of the holiday shopping experience. No longer. Consumers are simply too time pressed and cost sensitive to limit their shopping to physical stores.  With mobile and online channels becoming increasingly pervasive, retail studies are confirming that “Consumers visit stores for more than just a purchase, and…

As recently as 2014, leading analysts including Forrester, Accenture, IDC, Ipsos MediaCT, Sterling Brands and Google Think were building a case for the omnichannel model.[1] It was considered a competitive advantage that most retailers were unable to leverage. It has rapidly evolved from being something that only ‘sophisticated’ retailers pursued to something most retailers today…

 Throughout recent history, many efforts have been made to understand what people consider to be ‘fair’ when it comes to the process of pursuing and waiting for the service they need from a provider. Adrian Swinscoe is a consultant, researcher, economist, and former teacher who – like Qmatic – cares deeply about helping organizations provide…

September 27th through 29th marks the customer experience event of the year. Great Experience 2016 is Qmatic’s annual client and partner event where we explore the most creative current and emerging ideas for the Age of the Customer. More than 300 participants from across 50 countries will come together in beautiful Barcelona, Spain to discuss…

It’s been said that we suffer from a “perennial time-scarcity problem.” We’re busy at work. We’re busy at home. And among working parents – who have to care for their own health and the wellness of their children, time poverty present a real threat to health and wellbeing. It’s no surprise that consumers are demanding…

Freakonomics recently posted a podcast and article called “What are you waiting for?” The piece theorizes that standing in lines is a “sloppy — and frustrating — way for supply and demand to meet.” It offers some provocative thinking about why people wait in lines and the value of doing so. Shortly after it posted, I…

Around the world, municipal agencies are trying to manage high service expectations from constituents. They are striving to do more – for more – with limited resources. And they are taking steps to ensure their efforts are meaningful and transparent. Source: The Qmatic Blog

 There are few industries in which customer expectations are shaping the future as they are in banking. Customers know they can expect personalized offerings, they want options for when/where/how they want to complete their transactions, and they know they have options. Banks are working harder than ever to keep up with this savvy audience. They…

Public agencies are at a crossroads. Many have done things a certain way for a very long time. Many lack sufficient funding or an adequate workforce to push forward significant innovation. And because there is no real competition between government agencies, many have simply opted to continue on their current path, regardless of a reputation…

Across news channels, it’s becoming increasingly clear that SaaS (Software as a Service) is driving and reshaping businesses and government organization IT strategies. With this new reality, it’s more important than ever to enable technologies to communicate with one another in a streamlined and secure digital ecosystem. Source: The Qmatic Blog

It varies by state and county, but the average national Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) appointment takes between 34 and 44 minutes. Considering that most of us only have to go every couple of years to apply for or renew a license, manage a title, or take care of some other related task, this outlay…

  Source: The Qmatic Blog

Building a framework for resiliency and the future success of any enterprise involves assessing where the industry is headed, how demographics may change, and what the competition may bring to the marketplace. It also requires that the enterprise have an actionable, future focused strategy for meeting challenges and taking advantages of opportunity. This may be…

Last week, we looked at why it is important to collect, process, and engage customer journey analytics. We made the point that it’s impossible to analyze and learn from data you haven’t collected. This week, we look at how to integrate a business intelligence (BI) function into every component of your customer journey platform. Source: The Qmatic…

Fact: Retaining a customer costs roughly seven times less than attracting a new one.[1] Fact:  Improving customer retention rates among the right customers can improve profits by up to 95%.[2] Fact:  Most organizations notice customer churn rates about six months past the point when they actually failed the customer.[3] Source: The Qmatic Blog

Across the country, government and public agencies are facing a conundrum. On the one hand, entities like the DMV, Department of Veterans Affairs, and city/county services don’t have to deal with competition. For the most part, citizens have one resource option for satisfying requirements like renewing a license or filing a building plan. On the…

Next time you’re at the doctor’s office, DMV, bank, or store (or any other place where people are waiting), look around. Chances are, most of the people around you will be doing something on their phone. More than two-thirds of them (68%) are probably playing a game. Source: The Qmatic Blog

Imagine you are out for a special dinner. You start with appetizers and have a few courses, all the way through dessert and coffee. The wait staff is attentive, but not pushy. The environment is welcoming and comfortable. The service is well timed. Your appetizers and dessert are delicious. But the filet mignon you ordered…

Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at the customer experience from a few vantage points. We’ve clarified the difference between the customer journey, customer service, and the customer experience(CX). The most important point to note is that CX is inclusive of many parts. And it reflects how customers, patients, and citizens perceive every step, engagement,…

Business intelligence (BI) has become widely relied upon to deliver actionable data to employees in a much shorter period of time than has been historically possible. The process of gathering it has become a great way to give customers a voice in the content, process, and quality of their interaction with a company. Individually and…

From May ­22 through 24th, the 70th International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) Annual Conference drew thousands of attendees to Omaha, Nebraska. The event is put on every year to support municipal clerks, who act as a gateway to city hall for citizens, and whom elected officials count on to make sure public meetings, public…

On May 19, 2016, I took part in the panel Healthy Populations: Serving the Citizens of the Lone Star State given during the Texas Governing Leadership Forum. The event focused on the opportunities and solutions needed to manage issues related to the rapid growth of the state population, including infrastructure, labor, education and healthcare. Source:…

Before we begin, let’s clarify a very important point. Customer Experience ≠ Customer Service ≠ Customer Journey The customer experience (CX) is summative. It is how your customers, patients or citizens perceive the quality of your environment and services, and their journey through its many channels and engagement points. Source: The Qmatic Blog

While it may not be the first thing you think of when considering the parts of a great customer experience, perceived wait time is invariably one of the most important factors in his or her journey. Fortunately, understanding how to create an engaging, positive waiting experience has a lot to do with human psychology. Source:…

In May 2015, Javelin Research reported that banking had hit an inflection point.[1] At that point, 23% of primary bank customers in the U.S. described themselves as “mobile first,” meaning that they rely primarily on mobile for checking account activities. And in general, as many bank customers turn to mobile as to their branch for…

Satisfaction is a cycle. It may have your customer at the center, but it has your employees at every point in the journey. More engaged and fulfilled employees support more productive, efficient, and happier customer journeys. And in turn, happy customers are more relaxed, nicer, more loyal, and more likely to make your employees happier…

In a clinic setting, the average amount of time a patient with an appointment spends waiting to see their physician is 48 minutes. In an emergency room setting, the average time a patient will wait to be seen is 24 minutes. Whether a patient is in a healthcare environment for a check up, an acute…

Only a year ago, online and mobile shopping hit tipping points, overtaking brick-and-mortar shopping. Some analysts were sounding a death knell for the in-store experience. In part, this was due to growing customer demands for instant service accommodation, product availability, and an easy, personalized experience. Source: The Qmatic Blog

  Do you like to stand in line? No. Of course you don’t. Ask anyone whether they like standing in line, and the answer will almost invariably be ‘no.’ Despite all the things we candoonline, we still typically connect with products and services in a physical space. We might start our customer journey online, but…

The customer journey has become increasingly important to every organization across every industry. We have talked about how social media gives your customer a powerful voice and is important to the perception and strength of your organization. Now let’s take a look at how the customer journey influences brand advocacy and loyalty. Source: The Qmatic…

  It doesn’t matter whether you have a shop, a restaurant, or a bank. Without customers, your business doesn’t exist. And thanks to the ease and connectivity of social media and online review sites, your customers hold more and more of the cards. In the Age of the Customer, the business with the best customer…

These days, it’s almost impossible to think of a place that lacks at least some kind of structured queuing process. From check-in kiosks to digital signage throughout the environment, people expect to have a degree of control over their experience, as well as a sense of awareness about their waiting time. Source: The Qmatic Blog

Historically, on a list of organizations that provide a great customer experience, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has ranked low.  A reputation for disorganization, long waits, and general operational inefficiency all contribute to this perception. Source: The Qmatic Blog

Customer experience and employee satisfaction are two sides of the same coin. Happy customers correlate to increased employee engagement and retention, customer service and sales. When employees are happier and more productive, customer satisfaction and revenue generating activities go up. Source: The Qmatic Blog

In 2015, the banking industry reached a tipping point. The number of people using mobile banking applications surpassed the number of customers still going to their local branch to take care of their regular needs. Likely as a consequence of the growing number of new digital banking users, the number of bank branches in the…

For 89% of customers, one bad experience is all it takes for them to decide to abandon a brand. There is no question – we are living in the Age of the Consumer. As Forrester has observed, “the only sustainable competitive advantage is knowledge of and engagement of customers.” Fortunately, the tools exist for both…

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed formally in 2012. Since then, the emphasis on patient experience has seen a significant rise among health care providers. Reimbursements and penalties are now based almost entirely on the quality of care. Consequently, providers across the continuum of care, from single clinics to large hospital centers, are paying…