Best of CCIQ '11 Q3: Netflix, Mistakes with Angry Customers, Google's Call Center, Apple's Cust. Exp. Secrets

Call Center IQ is proud to present its Best of 2011. The following pieces received the most traffic for each respective month of Q3, 2011. The index (including links to the top pieces from Q1, Q2 and Q4, follows)

July

Mistakes Agents Make When Dealing with Angry Clients– "Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned." Buddha Anger. It can come out of nowhere and strike like a lightening bolt. It can start slowly – simmering like soup on a stove – when it suddenly boils over. Anger raises our blood pressure and makes us say things we later regret.

How Zappos' 10 Core Values, 21 Skill Sets Engaged Contact Center Employees, Raised Customer Loyalty - Zappos is widely recognized for its top-rated customer service. CMIQ caught up with the company's Senior Manager of the Customer Loyalty Team to get the details on the company's 10 core values, 21 skill sets, abandonment of call center metrics and monthly employee happiness survey.

August

Netflix Admits Customers Will Leave, Draws Fire; Is Transparency to Blame?– Two weeks later, and Netflix is still struggling to quiet the customer relations storm from its price increase. A closer look at how Netflix landed in such hot water reveals why this customer management dilemma is so challenging.

Why Teenagers Might Hate Your Brand- Publicity stunt or not, in offering to pay the stars of "Jersey Shore" not to wear its clothing, Abercrombie & Fitch explained that an affiliation with the MTV reality show could prove damaging to its "aspirational brand." As it turns out, the image Abercrombie & Fitch projects on its own is already counter to what the current generation of young customers desires

September

Secrets Revealed: How Apple Delivers an Elite Customer Experience- Apple makes sure that each positive effect customers perceive front-of-house (FOH) is supported by solid back-of-house (BOH) operations. It’s just like a restaurant where the maitre d’ handles the dining room, wait staff, and experience delivery while the chef takes care of food preparation, kitchen staff, purchasing, etc. Apple integrates Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) strategies…

Google’s Call Center Paying Off—Search Giant Gains New ROI, Customer Insights - While many companies are committed to moving customer service operations from the call center to the Internet, online giant Google has endeavored for the reverse. Over the past year, it has finally rolled out call center support for its pivotal AdWords service, expanding upon a customer service platform that had previously revolved around email support tickets and an online help center.

Q1 (January-March): Content on the rise of contact center complaints, Charlie Sheen’s Twitter, Disney’s customer experience and process excellence in the call center

Q2 (April-June): Content on why Twitter is overrated, how to track social media metrics, mistakes made on social media, Sprint’s customer experience overhaul and LEGO’s customer management culture

Q4 (October-December): Content on why Disney and Bank of America are hurting the customer experience with their IVRs, how Southwest Airlines delivers an elite customer experience, nine steps for improving customer experience and the role of live agents in 2011