As we know from our Zendesk Benchmark, speedy response and resolution times are a key driver of customer satisfaction and success. A lightning fast product that keeps support agents super productive is what we strive for here at Zendesk. A big part of this productivity is enabling our clients to engage with customers on their preferred, real-time channel: social media. In this infographic, we take a look at how social media is changing customer expectations and experiences when it comes to customer service.

To learn more about available social media functions within Zendesk, check out our Twitter and Facebook features!

Use the code below to re-use this graphic

[html]<img title="Zendesk Infographic" src="http://cdn.zendesk.com/images/blog-photos-new/InstaserviceInfographic.png" alt="" width="615" />
<em>Image originally posted on <a href="http://www.zendesk.com/blog/instaservice-customer-service-gets-speedy-and-social">Zengage, The Zendesk Blog</a></em>[/html]

The post Infographic: instaservice – customer service gets speedy and social appeared first on Zendesk.

Back in June, I did a whiteboard session for Software Advice explaining how to build a self-service community. We loved it so much that we decided to create our own video illustrating our top five tips in creating such a community. Click the video frame above to watch!

Learn more about creating creating a self-service community with Zendesk

The post Video: tips for effective self-service communities appeared first on Zendesk.

The insights learned from Totango combined with the power of Zendesk and our focus on exceptional customer service has led to some phenomenal results in keeping our customers happy and coming back for more. In our recent webinar, we shared some of our learnings and gave some practical advice on how to use technology and best practices to improve retention and unlock growth from your customers. Along with Totango VP of Marketing Dominque Levin, we shared the following surefire tips:

1. Focus on customer engagement  (not just support)
2. Build a cross-functional customer success team
3. Deliver personalized content
4. Enable multi-channel support options
5. Let the data be your guide — analyze the key metrics that matter
6. Unleash company-wide participation when it comes to customer service and engagement

Of course, each one of these tips requires some further explanation and encompasses sets of activities that you can easily put into practice. For more details and to explore this topic further, check out the recorded version of our webinar! Or, if you are a cloud-based business give us a call; we would love to talk to you further about how you can accelerate revenue and build better customer relationships using Zendesk and Totango.

The post Six Surefire Tips to Retain and Grow Customers appeared first on Zendesk.

At Zendesk we are constantly trying to find new ways to get out of the office and do the things that we love. Back in March, we came up with a great way to do these things by launching our first ever Customer Service Hero Tour! Along with some great friends of ours from Zappos and Groupon, we rocked the west coast and hit Los Angeles, Seattle, and our hometown of San Francisco.

Hundreds of wonderful companies came out to join us and it really shattered our expectations of what was possible when you put a bunch of passionate, customer focused people in a room together. Personally, I was inspired by tales from the inside of Zappos, enlightened by some of the creative ways people are using Zendesk, appalled by some of the horror stories of “the old ways” that companies used to provide customer service, and amazed that some of my jokes actually led to audible laughter!

So I am beyond excited that we are about to hit the road again! Tour stops this time will bring us to the rugged Rocky Mountains, the always active (and weird…in the good way) capital of Texas, and to the home of deep dish pizza and Oprah Winfrey. We’re coming packed with new customer stories, exciting findings from our customer service benchmarks, a best-selling author (check out Micah Solomon’s new book here), and much more. And yes, delicious free drinks will be on the menu.

Learn how you, too, can be a hero to your customers. Join us in Denver, Austin, or Chicago!

You can find out more about the Hero Tour here.

The post Denver, Austin, Chicago…We’re Coming! (be on the lookout for green capes) appeared first on Zendesk.

On Tuesday the 10th the Zen Masters of Customer Service webinar series rolls into April with “What’s The Secret To Providing A World-Class Customer Experience. In this live webinar, THE authority on providing a world-class customer experience John DiJulius shares how companies like Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Nestle, Disney, Nordstrom, and The Ritz-Carlton deliver world-class service consistently, and how you can, too. In addition to addressing the current “Customer Service Crisis,” John will also provide actionable steps that companies of any size can follow to improve their customer service today.

Best-selling author of both “Secret Service: Hidden Systems that Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service” and “What’s the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience”, John DiJulius is redefining customer service in corporate America. His keynotes and workshops are used by the top world-class customer service companies to provide unforgettable service every day. John has worked with companies such as Lexus, PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Marriott Hotels, and State Farm Insurance, to name a few, and he’s the father of America’s #1 customer service conference, The Secret Service Summit.

So join us for this session and take a big step forward in transforming your service organization. Or, feel free to send us those cupcakes. Chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry will do.

The post We’ve Got a Secret! We’ve Got a Secret! appeared first on Zendesk.

How did you get your start writing business focused books?
I have a Ph.D. in systems psychology, and began my work as an organizational development specialist. Now I specialize in helping build customer-centric businesses. My first book focused on the Pike’s Place Fish Market, where I worked with the owner, John Yokoyama. Johnny has created a dynamic workforce that creates memorable customer experiences. Together, he and I set out to tell the story of how that service oriented team of employees evolved from what had been a very product focused business approach. That book, When Fish Fly, took my consulting career and book authorship to another level and I began to work with companies like Starbucks, The Ritz-Carlton, UCLA Health Systems, and Zappos.

When interviewing and working with the great companies you have, is there a common thread or trait that you’ve discovered?
Visionary leadership. Leaders in these organizations are not afraid to set lofty goals and aggressively seek to drive an internal workplace culture that facilitates the realization of their vision. These leaders seek to transform people, products, and human experiences. They help people become passionate about going the extra mile in service to others and, as leaders, they go beyond talking about operational excellence (which happens to be tablestakes today) and focus instead on designing and delivering memorable and craveable experiences inside and outside the organization.

Why Zappos?
I chose Zappos because they’re bizarre and unconventional, yet so successful. They also are consistently delivering a level of customer experience that is lightyears ahead of most companies. I think you can learn a little something from a company that’s a little ahead of you, or you can look way out and see who’s made a giant left turn–like Zappos–and while we might not be able to make the same large turn, there’s something we can all take away from that. Zappos is so good at onboarding employees, doubling down on training and getting people involved in their culture. They’re clearly at the extreme of how companies operate in terms of service-culture execution. Not everyone will do it the Zappos way, but maybe they can take something Zappos does boldly and it’ll inspire them to change something about their own business.

How much time did you spend with them?
In total I’ve been involved with Zappos for about three years. Once it was clear that the CEO of Zappos Tony Hsieh would be writing a book on the company, we delayed my book [The Zappos Experience] to be a follow-up that could tell the “how,” behind the “why” that Tony covered in his work.

Why should people attend this webinar (what are they going to walk away with)?
This webinar is for people who are on the journey to delivering better experiences for their employees and customers. It’s for those who want unconventional insight from an unconventional business leader. The lessons from Zappos transcend business type and sector–it’s not just for ecommerce or footwear. The principles have universal application.

Many people talk about customer service and the service-value proposition. They want to provide great experiences for their customers but aren’t sure where or how to change their business. I’ll show them some of the things Zappos does from the inside-out and how to apply those elements immediately to their business.

Register for the webinar here. For those who can’t make the live webinar, we’ll send a link to the recorded version to all registrants.

The post Zen Masters Webinar Series: Q&A with Author Joseph Michelli appeared first on Zendesk.

Registration is free, and Guy Stephens, a top UK consulting specializing in the use of social media within customer service, will discuss the changing relationship between customers and organizations. You’ll learn why it’s more important than ever before for organizations to understand customers’ motivations and expectations, and how the “social customer” is challenging traditional notions of customer service.

The post Zen Masters Webinar: Think Mobile, Act Social on December 13th! appeared first on Zendesk.

The idea behind these webinars is one of education and sharing. We’ll be using this vehicle to discuss customer service ideas, tips, and advice, and hopefully break new ground on the subject. We are also fortunate to have built friendships with some of the best thought-leaders in the industry, many of whom are gracious enough to give some of their valuable time to share with our audience key insights that they have learned and experienced.

The webinars will be held monthly, registration is free and each will last less than one hour. We’re super excited to be kicking off this series on November 30th with one of the great minds on this topic: Micah Solomon. Micah is one of the premier thought-leaders in customer service, sales, branding and company culture and is the best-selling author of the book Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit. This book is a must-read for anyone trying to differentiate their brand through great service. On this first webinar, Micah will be sharing his secrets for building 21st century customer loyalty. (Personally, I can’t wait to explore this topic with Micah!)

In coming months we will be joined by other masters, including: Guy Stephens, Peter Shankman, and Joseph Michelli, Ph.D. For more information and to register, visit our webinars page. Also, if you have any suggestions for future topics or presenters, we would love to hear from you in the comments or at editor[at]zendesk.com!

The post Announcing the Zen Masters of Customer Service Webinar Series appeared first on Zendesk.

So we decided to turn on our friend Buddhy’s headset. Today, we introduce Voice functionality as a new, native channel in Zendesk.

Offering a phone number to call for help is a critical path to providing exceptional service to your customers. Historically however, this has not been a straightforward and easy proposition. We’ve probably all had some bad experiences calling for support. Long hold times, confusing menus, and third-party call centers that couldn’t solve problems are all too familiar themes. To route and track calls appropriately, behind the scenes call centers were built with major IT projects, expensive hardware, and more acronyms than a teenagers text conversation (PBX and ACD anyone?).

Set Up a Call Center in Minutes

Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be this way. Through Zendesk Voice, we have simplified the art of the call center, making it easy to buy, implement, and use. You can literally have a ready-to-go call center up and running in a matter of minutes. Control your greetings, wait-times and voicemail rules, and call routing. You can even choose your hold music. So if smooth jazz or yacht rock is your thing, then go for it!

What’s most exciting about Voice is how easy and convenient it makes phone support. Agents can take calls directly with their computer, desktop phone, or even on-the-go by routing calls to their mobile phone. And then the best part is a ticket is automatically created with every call, and recorded transcripts are embedded into that ticket. You won’t lose any details from a call. For the customer, there’s no more having to hunt around for that scrap of paper containing the vital details from your call. For the agents, there’s no more having to track down which agent took the original call or the need to bounce a customer around from agent to agent.

You can provide exceptional service over the phone, and we want to be the backbone that supports your doing so. Check out our forum post on how you can get your call center up and running right away.

Phone Support That Increases Productivity

Customers are already seeing these benefits take shape. “Previously we had to use separate clients for email and phone support – this was a real pain point when trying to keep track of everything and respond to customers in a timely manner,” says Sander Daniels, director of user happiness at Thumbtack. “Over the last month, however, we’ve moved our entire phone support to Zendesk Voice and are already seeing a significant increase in productivity.”

Managers like Sander can also monitor and manage the phone staff with our real-time dashboard that analyzes all voice activity and take corrective action immediately if they see and trouble spots. It’s a comprehensive call center that’s easy to set up and execute. Whether you are a one-person startup or a thousand-plus Enterprise, our new Voice functionality is an awesome addition to your support.

Check out Zendesk Voice today. You can try it out for free and start talking live immediately. Love your phone support!

The post Phone Support That Actually Rocks! appeared first on Zendesk.