http://www.businessweek.com In the Customer Service Champs podcast, senior managers from our annual survey of the best customer service firms -- plus, consultants and others -- discuss ideas driving the field today How service leaders are using technology, training, and customer-centric strategies to exceed customer needs BusinessWeek Customer service champs, customer service, customer relations, consumer relations, customer satisfaction, BusinessWeek, J.D. Power & Associates no Improving the customer experience has become a hot-button agenda item at many companies. But somehow, customer service is still notoriously bad. Given that divide, we're joining forces with the smartest minds on the customer's experience for a series we're calling the Customer Service Champs podcast. We'll take you inside the thinking of senior managers from our Customer Service Champs -- our annual survey that ranks the best customer service firms -- along with the brightest consultants, professors, and thinkers to talk about the trends, ideas, and best practices that are driving the field today. Join us for the discussion -- and then, in the spirit of customer satisfaction, be sure and tell us what you think en-us Copyright 2008, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Jaime Beauchamp#bw_online_media@businessweek.com Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:37:11 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss bwwebmaster@businessweek.com 1000 http://images.businessweek.com/icons/bw_podcast_88x31.jpghttp://www.businessweek.com8831 An analyst shares his picks for the best and worst customer companies Business Week http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_08_20_08.htm Some Consultants only talk about customer service in general terms. Bruce Temkin names names. A Vice - President and principal analyst at Forrester Research, Temkin runs Forresters Customer Experience Index, a ranking of the best and worst companies from the perspective of customer experience, which was first published in November. Associate Editor Jena McGregor chats with Temkin to compare his list with Business Weeks Customer Service Champs. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:06:32 -0400 15:59 Customer Experience, Forrester Research http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/csc_temkin_08_21_08.mp3 USAA brings insurance to the military BusinessWeek http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_07_16_08.htm When you're on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the Pacific, you need a special kind of service. Insurer USAA kept that in mind when designing its new mobile tech services, says Wayne Peacock, executive vice-president for enterprise operations Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:21:09 -0400 15:24 Wayne Peacock, Jena McGregor, customer service, USAA, technology, mobile Web services http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_07_16_08_usaa.mp3 Customer suggestion box goes online Paul English http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_06_19_08.htm Starbucks has started a virtual idea-hub for customers. MyStarbucksIdea.com, gives customers a place to rave or rant about the stores. Some ideas are already being tested. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400 15:01 customer experience, MyStarbucksIdea.com, Starbucks, customer service http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_06_19_08.mp3 Customer support is everyone's business Paul English http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_05_15_08.htm Paul English, creator of GetHuman.com and co-founder of Kayak.com talks to associate editor Jena McGregor about how good site design can improve customer service Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400 14:39 Paul English, Jena McGregor, GetHuman, customer service, customer support, Kayak.com, web site design http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_05_15_08.mp3 How companies can handle online critics Pete Blackshaw http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_04_17_08.htm Any customer can embarrass you on the Web. So you need a way to deal with people online. In our Customer Service Champs podcasts, Jena McGregor talks with Pete Blackshaw, author of Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3000 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0400 11:23 Nielsen, Pete Blackshaw, Jena McGregor, Comcast, Twitter, customer service, blogs, consumer-generated media http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_04_17_08.mp3 How good companies do customer service Bill Price http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_03_20_08.htm The best approach is not to have to offer customer service often, says Bill Price, co-author of "The Best Service Is No Service." Price talks to associate editor Jena McGregor in the first segment of BusinessWeek's Customer Service Champs podcast series Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400 15:56 Bill Price, customer service, Driva Solutions, Amazon.com, Jena McGregor, Alaska Airlines, Citigroup, best service http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_03_20_08.mp3 A research firm's metric studies the customer's best interests--instead of the bottom line Bruce Temkin http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_09_04_07.htm Forrester Research has begun studying a new way to measure customer satisfaction, called "customer advocacy." Management editor Jena McGregor speaks to Forrester analyst Bruce Temkin about this new metric Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:00:00 -0400 13:29 Bruce Temkin, Jena McGregor, Forrester Research, customer service, customer advocacy, net promoter score, customer satisfaction, USAA http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_09_04_07.mp3 How to make the customer's experience feel real Joe Pine http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_08_21_07.htm BusinessWeek talks to "Experience Economy" guru Joe Pine, who wrote about how companies can create experiences for consumers, rather than just commodities and services. He tells management editor Jena McGregor how to stage an authentic experience Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:00:00 -0400 13:34 Jena McGregor, Joe Pine, Authenticity, Customer Service, Experience Economy, customer experience, Starbucks http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_08_21_07.mp3 A new way to think about the customer experience Traci Entel http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_08_07_07.htm Traci Entel, a principal at Katzenbach Partners, speaks with Associate Editor Jena McGregor about how to make your organization more empathetic Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:00:00 -0400 15:06 empathy, Traci Entel, Katzenbach Partners, Jena McGregor, customer service http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_08_07_07.mp3 An index for customers, not stocks Claes Fornell http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_07_24_07.htm Claes Fornell, a professor at the University of Michigan and the founder of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, talks to Associate Editor Jena McGregor about the state of customer service today Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400 14:26 American Customer Satisfaction Index, customer service, customer service champions, Jena McGregor, University of Michigan, Claes Fornell, customer experience http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_07_24_07.mp3 Southwest's "Chief Apology Officer" Fred Taylor http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_07_10_07.htm Fred Taylor, senior manager of proactive customer service communications for Southwest Airlines, talks about how the airline deals with customers on days when travel plans go awry Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:00:00 -0400 10:20 Southwest Airlines, customer service, customer service champs, customer satisfaction, airlines, businessweek, jena mcgregor http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_07_10_07.mp3 How great people make for great service at the famed Four Seasons Ellen Dubois du Bellay http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_06_26_07.htm Ellen Dubois du Bellay, Four Seasons Hotels' vice-president of learning and development, talks about the company's extensive interview process and how it identifies good people Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:00:00 -0400 15:04 customer service, customer experience, Ellen Dubois du Bellay, Four Seasons, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, recruiting, training, orientation, empathy, Jena McGregor, customer satisfaction http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/qt/podcasts/cschamps/cschamps_06_26_07.mp3