Bridge news

Companies which fail to provide telephone interaction, risk alienating customers according to research commissioned by Ivomo.

The proposed merger of these mobile telephony providers makes perfect sense from a business perspective as these organisations suddenly leapfrog the two competitors they were desperately trying to keep up with.

In a series on HR and learning strategy, Paul Kearns asks whether it is about time learning and HR specialists were seen to be working much closer together as one, single, coherent source of expertise in people management. 

Contact centres can benefit from the lower costs and increased flexibility of SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) telephony without replacing a legacy phone system thanks to a new option from Noble Systems.

Customers are refusing to use automated speech systems and instead go online to find answers to their questions. 

Marks & Spencer is using an automated feedback system to gather feedback from staff and 21 million customers as it attempts to maintain its reputation for quality customer service.

Lisette Howlett examines the broad scope of succession management, and points out the common mistakes that can be made and some of the key factors needed for an effective succession process.

A degree of stability and a glimmer of confidence - so what do we do next?, writes Andrew McMillan in his Customer Strategy column.

Often projects are started enthusiastically but fail at implementation or post-implementation stage. The role of the change champion can be invaluable in involving the right people, getting commitment to the change and embedding it, says Bettina Pickering.

A study by credit card provider Visa shows that customers are still enjoying luxuries such as meals out and theatre trips, although overseas trips have been omitted by many.