For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Next-Generation Contact Centers

Solutions To Keep Pace With Your Customers

by Elizabeth Herrell, November 11, 2009

Contact center customer support needs to evolve to better serve customers who no longer rely on one venue for receiving information but instead engage multiple sources. In addition to checking a company's Web site and its brochures, many customers research . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Top Customer Experience Takeaways From SpeechTEK 2009

by Adele Sage, November 10, 2009

Forrester recently attended SpeechTEK 2009, where presenters focused on using speech technologies to improve the phone self-service customer experience. Among speakers' top recommendations: Don't ignore customer experience, do focus on target users and . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Publishers Need Multichannel Subscription Models

Charging For Online Content Is Just One Part Of A Multichannel Product Strategy

by Sarah Rotman Epps, November 10, 2009

Newspaper and magazine publishers' current monetization models are broken: They are overly reliant on the "free" model of having advertisers subsidize consumer usage. But shifting more of the burden of payment to consumers is no easy task. In this report, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Emotional Experience Design

Creating Online Experiences That Deeply Engage Customers

by Ron Rogowski, October 26, 2009

As consumers increasingly look to connect with companies online, lackluster Web experiences will damage many brands. But better functional design won't solve the problem. Instead, Forrester recommends that companies master the three principles of a new . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Seizing Insurance's Mobile Opportunity

Customer Adoption And Investment Grow As US Insurers Play Catch-Up

by Chad Mitchell, October 22, 2009

Smartphone adoption among US insurance customers is growing, and customers are beginning to engage with insurers via the mobile Web for policy administration, claims, and bill pay. eBusiness and emerging channel strategy executives at US insurers like . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Mobile Strategy: Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs From Forrester's European Clients About Leveraging Mobile's Growth

by Thomas Husson, October 20, 2009

Client interest in mobile has exploded in the past year, partly thanks to the tremendous success of the iPhone/Apple App Store. Many brands that are starting to create a mobile presence are bombarding us with questions. To help them define — or refine . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Gen Y Points To A Mobile Future For Local Search

by Abe Garon, Sarah Rotman Epps, October 13, 2009

Search is a high-stakes business: Forrester estimates that the US search market overall is worth $15 billion in 2009, of which local advertising spend is nearly $4 billion. The companies vying for a piece of this business include: portals like AOL, Google, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

The Reality Of Customer Service In Europe: How Europeans Use And Rate Service Channels

by Patti Freeman Evans, October 9, 2009

With 51% of European adults having sought company support in the past three months, customer service must be a key component of any company retention strategy. We found that Europeans favor traditional service channels like the phone and in-store interaction, . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Why Mobile Could Reinvent Social Computing

A Glimpse Into The European Mobile Social Web Landscape

by Thomas Husson, October 9, 2009

Mobile social activity is more than just accessing social networking sites while on the go. Mobile phones have the potential to become the hub of Social Computing activities and to be more than just a complement to the PC experience. Mobile phones will . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Best Practices: Mastering Output Options For Customer Communications

Simple Ways To Cut Costs And Improve Customer Experiences Are Hard To Achieve

by Craig Le Clair, Sheri McLeish, September 29, 2009

A new generation of document output for customer communications management (DoCCM) technology promises to reduce costs, improve the customer experience, and expand output beyond the print channel. Yet best practices must also evolve to achieve these promises. . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

To Deliver The Vodafone 360 Strategy, Vodafone Becomes A Social Network And A Handset Maker

by Ian Fogg, September 28, 2009

Vodafone 360 is a bold initiative that will affect every firm's Social Computing strategy. Vodafone aims to drive mobile Internet adoption, acquire new customers, and increase long-term customer retention. Vodafone 360 both aggregates leading social networks . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Why Americans Research Financial Products Online But Buy Through Other Channels

Channel Switching Is Driven Largely By Security And Support Issues

by Edward Kountz, Peter Wannemacher, September 22, 2009

Many US customers use multiple channels when buying financial services products, crossing channels during their path to purchase. Among online adults, 41% of financial product applicants research online but buy offline. Security and a need for hand-holding . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Firms Struggle To Measure Customer Experience Across Channels

Technical And Organizational Silos Hinder Cross-Channel Tracking

by Megan Burns, September 22, 2009

Forrester recently surveyed decision-makers at 41 companies and found that their primary challenges when it comes to customer experience measurement relate to tracking experiences across channels. Several factors contribute to this problem, including . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Technographics® Survey Highlights: How Consumers Connect With Companies Via Mobile  (623 KB PPT)

by Corina Matiesanu, September 18, 2009

This highlight deck summarizes the key findings related to mobile marketing from Forrester's North American Technographics Interactive Marketing Online Survey, Q2 2009 (US). This is the second survey highlight in a series from the North American Technographics . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Footwear Manufacturers' Cross-Channel Experience, 2009

An Industry Look At This Year's Best And Worst Of Cross-Channel Design

by Adele Sage, September 18, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 16 firms, Forrester evaluated the cross-channel experiences of four large footwear manufacturers — adidas, New Balance, Nike, and Puma. Overall, the footwear manufacturers lagged relative to most of the other industries. . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Case Study: Nationwide Insurance Uses Mobile To Offer Customers Self Service On The Road

A Mobile POST Case Study

by Julie A. Ask, Chad Mitchell, September 11, 2009

Nationwide Mutual Insurance was the first US insurer to develop a custom mobile application for the Apple iPhone. The firm's mobile application offers customers the ability to file a claim and upload pictures of an accident, follow a detailed accident . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Discount Retailers' Cross-Channel Experience, 2009

An Industry Look At This Year's Best And Worst Of Cross-Channel Design

by Bruce D. Temkin, September 3, 2009

As part of a larger analysis of 16 firms, Forrester evaluated the cross-channel experiences of four large discount retailers — Kmart, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart. Overall, the discount retailers performed poorly compared to the other industries we evaluated. . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Interactive Design Agencies Go "Above The Line"

by Vidya L. Drego, September 3, 2009

Dramatic changes in consumer behavior and the economy have caused companies to shift budgets from traditional advertising to interactive marketing. Interactive agencies ride the trend with partnerships, acquisitions, new services — and a much bigger role . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Western European Mobile Forecast, 2009 To 2014

Mobile Internet Adoption Will Grow To 39% Of Mobile Users By 2014

by Thomas Husson, August 28, 2009

As mobile phones are now ubiquitous across Western Europe, the industry's attention has turned to the mobile Internet arena. Despite the recession, mobile Internet adoption will continue to grow significantly, with audiences tripling from 13% of Western . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Nokia Begins The Fight Back With The N900

PC-Inspired Consumer Software Arrives On The First Maemo-Powered Internet Mobile Phone

by Ian Fogg, August 28, 2009

The N900 is a critical product for helping Nokia regain mobile mindshare. For the first time, Nokia pairs desktop-PC-quality Internet software, based on Maemo Linux, with 24x7 mobile phone connectivity. While the N900's importance for Nokia is tremendous, . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

CDHP Member Engagement Slips — Again

Health Plans Can't Count On Plan Design To Drive Healthcare Consumerism

by Elizabeth Boehm, August 26, 2009

Consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) continue to experience rapid growth in adoption. But member engagement has declined for the second consecutive year. CDHP members are now less likely to use online health tools and actively manage their healthcare . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

A Deep Dive Into European Consumers' Online Behavior, 2009

Consumers' Uptake Of Social Activities Deepens Their Online Engagement

by Olesia Klevchuk, August 13, 2009

For more than 10 years, Forrester has been tracking consumers' online and offline behavior in Europe. In recent years, we've published a dedicated report about their online behavior to understand the changes in this emerging medium. This year's European . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Health Plans' Cross-Channel Service Imperative

Self-Service Success Requires Strong Integration With Phone Channels

by Elizabeth Boehm, August 12, 2009

More than half of US online, nonelderly, commercially insured consumers have visited their health plan's Web site last year. Once there, members avail themselves of an array of administrative tools like finding a doctor, checking a claim, and checking . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

How Mobile Handsets Will Deliver 24x7 Social Computing

Building The Dominant Device For Media Creation

by Ian Fogg, August 6, 2009

On mobile phones, people's work and personal lives collide 24x7. Mobile phones are ever-present, 24x7, whatever the situation. Therefore, they're the ideal devices to share social content or catch up with friends at any time. Social Computing is a natural . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

How The iPhone Has Changed Mobile Banking

The iPhone Is A Catalyst For Mobile Banking Adoption And Innovation

by Alexander Hesse, August 4, 2009

The iPhone is a powerful catalyst for mobile banking adoption and innovation. It improves the mobile Internet browsing experience, removes uncertainty about mobile browsing costs, makes it easier to download mobile applications, and unleashes a wave of . . .