RICK DELISI has been researching customer service and customer experience for the past two decades. He is the co-author of the bestselling book The Effortless Experience, and has written several pieces published in the Harvard Business Review. Prior to working in customer service he was a journalist, winning four Associated Press awards for outstanding feature reporting. DAN MICHAELI is CEO and Co-Founder of Glia, the New York-based technology company that has become an industry leader in Digital Customer Service. The Glia platform helps businesses reinvent how they support customers in a digital world. He is an award-winning speaker who has been a contributor to numerous publications including Forbes.

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• About the Authors xiForeword by Corrie Carrigan xiiiPreface: Now It’s Our Turn xviiSection One The Problem with Customer Service and the Digital Opportunity Chapter 1 The Win-Win-Win-Win 3 Customer Service at an Inflection Point 4The Difference Between “digital customer service” and DCS 6Two Very Different Experiences 8Win #1: The Benefits of DCS for Companies 13Win #2: The Benefits of DCS for Customers 17Win #3: The Benefits of DCS for Agents 19Win #4: The Benefits of DCS for Service Executives and Leaders 21Customers Have Transformed; So Should Your Company 23Key Takeaways: Chapter 1 25Chapter 2 The Peaks and Valleys of Customer Service 27 It Wasn’t Always This Way 28How Did Customer Service Become Such an Easy “Punching Bag?” 33Customers Are Wired for Negative Reactions 34Companies Are Wired for Efficiency 37Cost Eats Quality for Lunch 39Evolution of Customer Service: The “Quality Valley” 42Key Takeaways: Chapter 2 44Chapter 3 Digital Self-Service Changed Things Forever 45 The Citi Never Sleeps 46From Migration to Expectation to Demand 48Never Going Back Again 51Evolution of Customer Service: The Digital Self-Service Explosion 55Why the “Bolt-On” Approach Doesn’t Cut It Anymore 55Social Media: Salt in the Wound 58Evolution of Customer Service: The “Expectation Valley” 62Key Takeaways: Chapter 3 63Section Two DCS Terminology Overview Chapter 4 The Three OnScreen Pillars of DCS 67 Climbing Out of the Valley of Expectations 68Evolution of Customer Service: The Inflection Point 69DCS Defined 72OnScreen Communication 74OnScreen Collaboration 78OnScreen Automation 81OnScreen Collaboration: Getting on the Same Page 83Digital-Also vs. Digital-Only vs. Digital-First 89How to Build a Business Case for DCS 92Added Bonus: DCS is More Secure 97Key Takeaways: Chapter 4 100Section Three Dcs Transformation Overview Chapter 5 The Process – A Step-By-Step Guide 103 Put It on the Screen 104“Cooking Up” the Ideal Digital Service Strategy 105Step 1: Get the Right Ingredients 106The “Secret Ingredient”: OnScreen Voice 116Step 2: Learn Which Dishes People Like Best 120Digital Self-Service Inventory (2x2) 121Step 3: Serve Your Best Dishes Consistently 129Journeys Based on the “Process” not the “Person” 130Earning Your Michelin Stars 136Key Takeaways: Chapter 5 138Chapter 6 The People – Empowering Agents, Leaders, and (Even) Bots 139 From Call Center to Contact Center to “Collaboration” Center 140The Agents: Rise of the Superagent 142The Leaders: Retaining and Attracting the Best People 148The Bots: Humans and Machines Working as a Team 156“Confidence Equity” Works Both Ways – For Customers and Agents 168Key Takeaways: Chapter 6 173Chapter 7 The Positioning – How DCS Future-Proofs Your Company 175 Time to Move to the Center of the Universe 176Internally: It’s a 6 × 3 and A-to-Z World 178Externally: CX Is the Last Frontier for Differentiation 187Key Takeaways: Chapter 7 195Epilogue: To Infinity and Beyond 197Digital Customer Service FAQs 201Notes 209Index 213

RICK DELISI has been researching customer service and customer experience for the past two decades. He is the co-author of the bestselling book The Effortless Experience, and has written several pieces published in the Harvard Business Review. Prior to working in customer service he was a journalist, winning four Associated Press awards for outstanding feature reporting. DAN MICHAELI is CEO and Co-Founder of Glia, the New York-based technology company that has become an industry leader in Digital Customer Service. The Glia platform helps businesses reinvent how they support customers in a digital world. He is an award-winning speaker who has been a contributor to numerous publications including Forbes.

Select Guide Rating

• About the Authors xiForeword by Corrie Carrigan xiiiPreface: Now It’s Our Turn xviiSection One The Problem with Customer Service and the Digital Opportunity Chapter 1 The Win-Win-Win-Win 3 Customer Service at an Inflection Point 4The Difference Between “digital customer service” and DCS 6Two Very Different Experiences 8Win #1: The Benefits of DCS for Companies 13Win #2: The Benefits of DCS for Customers 17Win #3: The Benefits of DCS for Agents 19Win #4: The Benefits of DCS for Service Executives and Leaders 21Customers Have Transformed; So Should Your Company 23Key Takeaways: Chapter 1 25Chapter 2 The Peaks and Valleys of Customer Service 27 It Wasn’t Always This Way 28How Did Customer Service Become Such an Easy “Punching Bag?” 33Customers Are Wired for Negative Reactions 34Companies Are Wired for Efficiency 37Cost Eats Quality for Lunch 39Evolution of Customer Service: The “Quality Valley” 42Key Takeaways: Chapter 2 44Chapter 3 Digital Self-Service Changed Things Forever 45 The Citi Never Sleeps 46From Migration to Expectation to Demand 48Never Going Back Again 51Evolution of Customer Service: The Digital Self-Service Explosion 55Why the “Bolt-On” Approach Doesn’t Cut It Anymore 55Social Media: Salt in the Wound 58Evolution of Customer Service: The “Expectation Valley” 62Key Takeaways: Chapter 3 63Section Two DCS Terminology Overview Chapter 4 The Three OnScreen Pillars of DCS 67 Climbing Out of the Valley of Expectations 68Evolution of Customer Service: The Inflection Point 69DCS Defined 72OnScreen Communication 74OnScreen Collaboration 78OnScreen Automation 81OnScreen Collaboration: Getting on the Same Page 83Digital-Also vs. Digital-Only vs. Digital-First 89How to Build a Business Case for DCS 92Added Bonus: DCS is More Secure 97Key Takeaways: Chapter 4 100Section Three Dcs Transformation Overview Chapter 5 The Process – A Step-By-Step Guide 103 Put It on the Screen 104“Cooking Up” the Ideal Digital Service Strategy 105Step 1: Get the Right Ingredients 106The “Secret Ingredient”: OnScreen Voice 116Step 2: Learn Which Dishes People Like Best 120Digital Self-Service Inventory (2x2) 121Step 3: Serve Your Best Dishes Consistently 129Journeys Based on the “Process” not the “Person” 130Earning Your Michelin Stars 136Key Takeaways: Chapter 5 138Chapter 6 The People – Empowering Agents, Leaders, and (Even) Bots 139 From Call Center to Contact Center to “Collaboration” Center 140The Agents: Rise of the Superagent 142The Leaders: Retaining and Attracting the Best People 148The Bots: Humans and Machines Working as a Team 156“Confidence Equity” Works Both Ways – For Customers and Agents 168Key Takeaways: Chapter 6 173Chapter 7 The Positioning – How DCS Future-Proofs Your Company 175 Time to Move to the Center of the Universe 176Internally: It’s a 6 × 3 and A-to-Z World 178Externally: CX Is the Last Frontier for Differentiation 187Key Takeaways: Chapter 7 195Epilogue: To Infinity and Beyond 197Digital Customer Service FAQs 201Notes 209Index 213