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Posted on February 3rd, 2012 at 1:04 pm by Angela Gordon
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Theme: High Performance Business, Latest Post, Marketing, Open leadership | Tags: customer expectations, customer experience, customer loyalty, customer needs, Customer Service, Differentiated Service Strategy; customer service; workforce; digital interaction, Social Media
The thing about passion is that it is catchy…the energy it gives rubs off onto others. A colleague of mine had a recent ‘service experience’ and wanted to share it with me and I would like to share it with all of you. I would like to introduce you to Lucinde Klop (@Lucinde_K ) – another passionate customer service consultant from Accenture – and this is her service experience.
Selecting a new health insurance plan has been on my ‘to do list’ for a couple of weeks. I was not looking forward to this task, as I was expecting my only choice was between marginal differences in monthly payments and reimbursements. However, when I finally got to it, I was highly surprised! Not only could I choose from monthly payment options, but I could also choose between various levels of service defined per insurance package.
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Posted on January 30th, 2012 at 2:20 pm by Jeroen Hendrix
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Theme: Innovation that works, Latest Post | Tags: Customer challenges, customer expectations, Embedding innovation, Industry foresight, Innovation engine, Innovation that works, Linkedin Poll, New technology, Smart commercialization, Systemized Innovation
The responses to a recent poll Accenture ran on LinkedIn revealed that people have very different ideas about the key ingredients for successful innovation. A full half of the respondents believe that understanding customer challenges is the key, while another third believe it is essential to embed innovation in an organisation. Industry foresight and speed to market came in equal third, while 4% opted for smart commercialization.
The truth is of course that all of these play a role in successful innovation. And even these don’t give you a full picture of what is needed for continuous successful innovation. But is there one element that is so crucial that without it successful innovation would be impossible?
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Posted on January 26th, 2012 at 1:16 pm by Floris Van den Dool
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Theme: Business Transformation, High Performance IT, Latest Post | Tags: Analytics, CIO, Context-based services, Converging data architectures, Industrialized data sevices, Information technology, PaaS, Social driven IT, Technology Vision, Technology Vision 2012, Techvision
Business leaders now accept that their organizations’ future success is bound up with their ability to keep pace with technology. CIOs have to play a key role in helping these business leaders recognize and seize the opportunities enabled by new trends—but the price of progress will have to be paid, along with new risks assumed.
This week Accenture published its Technology Vision 2012, an annual outlook of the most important emerging technology trends that are predicted to have a critical impact on businesses; a distillation from the experiences of our research teams and the input of our clients. The emerging technology trends are outlined so forward-thinking CIOs will use these to position their organizations to drive growth and high performance, rather than just focusing on cost-cutting and efficiency improvements.
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Posted on January 20th, 2012 at 10:44 am by Gregor Aaij
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Theme: Business Transformation, High Performance Business, Latest Post, Marketing | Tags: Customer Analytics, Customer insights, Customer segmentation, Managed services, Marketing, Multichannel Campaign Managemernt
In the wake of the recent recession, consumer behavior has changed substantially. Expectations of customers globally are accelerating: they expect the highest product quality, more value for money and better tailored service. Like stated by my colleague Jort Possel in his previous blog post: “Consumers are connecting in more than one way and on multiple devices, consuming more content, and doing it all on the go”.
With the explosive growth of online, mobile and social media channels, customers choose their interaction channel of preference and demand a seamless multi-channel experience. To sustain high performance and growth through uncertain times, companies will need to work harder and smarter to find and capitalize on growth opportunities and to provide a great customer experience.
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Posted on January 13th, 2012 at 1:04 pm by Angela Gordon
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Theme: Business Transformation, Latest Post, Marketing | Tags: Customer Analytics, customer expectations, customer experience, customer loyalty, customer needs, Customer Service, Digital channels, Digital interaction, Social Media
A new year brings new hope, new chances, and new energy - or as the Dutch say – ‘nieuwe ronde nieuwe kansen’! At the start of 2011 I selected five key service themes for the focus of 2011; these unfortunately did not all play out over the course of the year. But one must not get disappointed in the lack of progress. One must smarten the goal and move forward…
For 2012 I have selected three service themes which are going to monopolize the conversations both on the blog and on location with our clients. In order of personal importance;
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Posted on January 5th, 2012 at 1:40 pm by Angela Gordon
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Theme: Driving Growth, Latest Post, Marketing | Tags: Air France, Customer Care, Customer Service, High Performance Marketing Conference, HPMC12, KLM, Marketing
Sometimes life is all about patience and perseverance. Around the Accenture halls I jokingly get called the ‘cheerleader’ due to my North American enthusiasm for ‘customer service’; all that it is and all that it has the potential to become in Holland.
Through my years here in Holland I have met a few individuals on occasion as enthusiastic as myself; however, they all shared one similarity. They didn’t believe there was a way to turn their dream into reality. I was beginning to wonder if anyone here had read the book ’Dromen, durven, doen’….?
Then one fall day in November 2010 I met a man, a man with a dream, and for the first time in many years I could see by the determination in his eyes that this man was determined to turn his dream into reality. This was the day I met Roy Scheerder (Vice President Marketing KLM Netherlands), a man with a dream and a desire to pursue it. Read more…
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Posted on December 30th, 2011 at 12:29 pm by Angela Gordon
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Theme: Business Transformation, High Performance Business, Latest Post, Marketing | Tags: corporate citizenship, customer experience, customer loyalty, Customer Service
As the end of 2011 approachs it time to take a moment to look back at all it has brought and all it has become. What a disappointment. Now I am not trying to be the grinch that stole away the happy holiday feeling but lets’ face it folks, no one really surprised us this year?!
I opened the 2011 year with a positive post about customer service and a challenge question as to whether this would be the year that companies would make the difference or if they would continue to kick-back and let customers scream at the door. As a law abiding Netherlands consumer let me just say I have lost my voice a few times this year. But has all been lost? Can our little Dutch customer service economy be saved? I still really believe so and am awaiting to meet the individuals with the ‘doorzettingsvermogen’ to change the game. Oh where oh where can they be….?
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Posted on December 14th, 2011 at 2:05 pm by Geert Batterink
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Theme: Innovation that works, Latest Post | Tags: cloud computing, CMIS, High Performance IT, Information technology, Mobility, Open Source, Open Source Conference, Social CRM
Today enterprises can strongly benefit from the innovation that can be unlocked using Open Source solutions. Now that the consumerization trend in IT is moving so quickly, newest technology solutions are Open Source right from the start. Open Source is no longer a mere substitute for commodity solutions, it has become a key enabler of innovative solutions that just would not have existed without Open Source. Open Source now has started to out-innovate the IT mega-vendors.
These concepts summarize the Accenture keynote presented by Accenture’s Tony Roby on the 4th edition of the largest and most successful recurring Open Source Conference in the Benelux that was held on December 9th in Amsterdam. The annual conference, founded by Accenture and Red Hat attracted nearly 800 people and offered an extensive program of real-life cases and first class keynote speakers. Simone Brummelhuis, founder and CEO of thenextwomen.com chaired the event. Simone is no stranger when it comes to innovation, as she is also part a member the Accenture Innovation Awards jury.
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Posted on December 13th, 2011 at 2:18 pm by Ad Jan Brouwer
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Theme: Business Transformation, Latest Post | Tags: cloud computing, DSSF, Dutch Shared Services Forum, Enterprise Recourse Planning, ERP, Human resources, Information technology, Shared services
Recently, Accenture’s research report “Trends in Shared Services: Unlocking the full potential” confirms that shared services organizations are enjoying the benefits of cost savings, efficiencies and better service. But the shared services model continues to evolve. One of the main outcomes is that “the gap between what is and what can be will continue to be bridged by the innovative spirit of pioneering shared services leaders”. With this knowledge it is key to have insights in the developments and challenges of Shared Services professionals.
Since December 2009 Finance & Enterprise Performance and Talent & Organisation facilitate the Dutch Shared Services Forum twice a year. During these events structural Shared Service challenges are discussed by Shared Services professionals and Accenture representatives. Although the focus of the event is on HR and Finance, Shared Services Directors from all functions in the Netherlands and Belgium are welcome. By discussing structural challenges, the participating members share knowledge and experience to help each other take Shared Services to the next level.
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Posted on December 8th, 2011 at 1:07 pm by Anke Schlichting
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Theme: Business Transformation, Latest Post | Tags: CIO, Cost reduction, Financial Services, High Performance IT, Information technology
The imperative to reduce costs is hardly new. However, economic uncertainty has major implications for companies’ efforts to achieve and sustain high performance and has inevitably put cost reduction back on the senior management agenda. With costs again under sharp focus, much of the exploration to find savings will inevitably fall on IT—which is both a significant cost center and a driver of costs (and cost savings) in the business, and therefore a major target for cost reduction initiatives.
Reactive and Strategic approach
For CIOs facing today’s intensifying focus on IT costs, now is the time to examine a new approach to IT spending. Hereby, the CIO faces the challenge of trying to find ways to reduce costs in IT, while maintaining service and delivering the technology investments required to support the business efficiency. Their task of reducing costs is often made even more complicated by the traditional reactive approach to discretionary IT spending.
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The thing about passion is that it is catchy…the energy it gives rubs off onto others. A colleague of mine had a recent ‘service experience’ and wanted to share it with me and I would like to share it with all of you. I would like to introduce you to Lucinde Klop (@Lucinde_K ) – another passionate customer service consultant from Accenture – and this is her service experience.
